In Illinois, the latest Rasmussen Reports survey shows Senator Kerry with 52% of the vote and President Bush with 41%. Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik will be on the Illinois ballot and attracted 2% of the vote.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters was commissioned by the Daily Southtown and conducted on October 4.

Four years ago, Al Gore carried Illinois by a 12-point margin, 55%-43%. In Abe Lincoln's home state, the GOP is now in disarray and Democrat Barack Obama is leading in the U.S. Senate race by a 3-to-1 margin.

The new survey results have no impact on our Electoral College totals since Illinois was already in the Kerry column. Kerry has been over the 50% mark in every Illinois survey we've released this season.

Rasmussen Reports Premium Members receive weekly updates on Illinois polls along with supplemental information.

Premium Member Service also includes daily tracking for Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. We also provide updates for 15 other states on a weekly basis.

Just 36% of Illinois voters believe the country is heading in the right direction while 60% believe we have gotten off on the wrong track. That's a more pessimistic assessment than the national average.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of all Illinois voters Approve of the way President Bush is performing his job. That's below his national Job Approval rating.

Rasmussen Reports is an independent public opinion research firm that provides daily updates on the Presidential election and the nation's economic confidence. We also update our Electoral College projections on a regular basis.

We have recently released state election polls for Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Rasmussen Reports Premium Members receive daily Tracking Poll updates for Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. They also receive weekly updates for 15 states and other information.