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61% of Illinois Voters Say They Would Definitely Vote Against Roland Burris
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Sixty-one percent (61%) of Illinois voters now say they would definitely vote against Democratic Senator Roland Burris if he runs for a full term in 2010, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state.

That result is up from 54% back in April. Burris was named to the Senate by since-impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the seat vacated by Barack Obama.

Only six percent (6%) of voters would definitely vote for Burris, while 32% say their vote would depend on who runs against him.

Burris has not yet said whether he intends to seek a full term in the Senate next year, but 74% of Illinois voters say he should not run. Just 13% say he should.

Twenty-one percent (21%) say it is likely Burris would be elected if he ran for the Senate in 2010, while most (75%) say that outcome is unlikely.

In April, 62% of Illinois voters said Burris should resign.

Blagojevich is the target of an ongoing federal corruption probe for allegations including the attempted sale to the highest bidder of Obama's Senate seat. Burris in turn is being investigated by federal authorities and the Senate Ethics Committee over how he came to be appointed to the Senate.

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Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has been heavily talked about as a Democratic challenger to Burris if he decides to run in 2010. However, most Illinois voters have no opinion as to whether she should run for Senate or governor. But 23% say Madigan should run for the Senate in 2010, while 21% say she should run as a gubernatorial candidate

Madigan earns mostly favorable reviews from voters. Sixty-five percent (65%) view her favorably, while only 28% view her unfavorably.

Just 18% of voters share a favorable view of Burris, showing very little change from April. Seventy-seven percent (77%) have an unfavorable view of the senator, up four points from two months ago. His reviews are not much better than those for Blagojevich, who is viewed unfavorably by 85% of Illinois voters.

Another possible Senate contender is Chicago businessman Chris Kennedy, one of Robert F. Kennedy's sons. Twenty-nine percent (29%) have a favorable view of Kennedy, while 25% view him unfavorably. Despite his last name, 45% of Illinois voters don't know enough about Kennedy to have an opinion of him.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) say it is likely Burris was involved in unethical pay-to-play politics to win the Senate appointment, including 50% who say it is very likely. Just 11% believe that was not the case.

Governor Pat Quinn, who replaced Blagojevich following his impeachment, does not receive much reelection support from voters. If Quinn decides to run for a full term as governor, only 13% say they would definitely vote for him while 23% say they would definitely vote against him. Most voters (63%) say their decisions would depend on who is running against him.

Yet while only 32% of voters think Quinn should run for governor in 2010, 56% say it is at least somewhat likely he would win if he did.

Quinn is viewed favorably by 55% of Illinois voters, and 57% of voters approve of the job he’s been doing as governor.

A majority of Illinois voters (52%) believe politicians in the state are more corrupt than most politicians in other states. Forty-one percent (41%) say they are about as corrupt as those in other states. Only three percent (3%) say they are less corrupt.

When given the choice, 56% of Illinois voters say politicians are typically more corrupt than the chief executive officers of major corporations. Only 21% say CEOs are more corrupt, and another 24% are undecided. Back in December, Illinois voters said politicians were more corrupt by a 48% to 22% margin.

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Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.