The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Illinois voters finds former state Attorney General Jim Ryan leading incumbent Democratic Governor Pat Quinn 46% to 39%. Nine percent (9%) of Illinois voters like some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.

Ryan’s is within two points of Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes, who hopes to wrest the Democratic nomination from Quinn. In that match-up, Hynes attracts 42% of the vote while Ryan gets 40%. Seven percent (7%) opt for another candidate. Eleven percent (11%) are undecided.

Hynes ran slightly stronger than Quinn in a separate survey late last week. But both the top Democratic hopefuls in next year’s governor’s race beat three other Republican challengers.

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It’s important to note that at this stage, the close contest between Quinn and Hynes may be depressing the Democratic vote in match-ups with the Republicans. Once the party selects a gubernatorial candidate in its February 2 primary, supporters of the losing candidate can be expected to begin moving into the winner’s column.

Ryan carries male voters over both Quinn and Hynes. He has a nine-point advantage among female voters against Quinn but loses women by 10 points to Hynes.

Voters not affiliated with either party strongly prefer the Republican over either of the Democrats.

Ryan ran unsuccessfully for governor against Democrat Rod Blagojevich in 2002. Quinn became governor in January following Blagojevich’s impeachment.

In a generic Illinois gubernatorial ballot match-up in October, a Democratic candidate held a 43% to 37% edge over a Republican.

Ryan is viewed more favorably than any other GOP candidate and his favorables are in roughly the same territory as the two Democrats.

Rasmussen Reports has released recent polls on the 2010 governor’s races in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.

Democratic State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has slipped past Republican Congressman Mark Kirk in Illinois’ 2010 race for the U.S. Senate, and other Democratic hopefuls are closing the gap.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of Illinois voters oppose relocating some suspected terrorists from the Guantanamo prison camp in Cuba to a prison 150 miles west of Chicago.

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