Illinois Governor: Brady (R) Still Ahead in Four-Way Race

Republican State Senator Bill Brady now leads Democratic Governor Pat Quinn by just six points in Illinois’ crowded gubernatorial contest.

The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey finds Brady earning 46% of the vote, while Quinn picks up 40%. Democrat-turned-independent Scott Lee Cohen gets four percent (4%) support, and Green Party candidate Rich Whitney has the backing of two percent (2%). Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Still, the race remains Leans Republican in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Gubernatorial Scorecard.

Last week, Brady held a 46% to 38% edge over Quinn, but that was before Cohen was factored in. In 11 surveys conducted since March, Brady has received 43% to 50% support. Quinn, who took over as governor last year after Rod Blogojevich’s impeachment, has earned 35% to 40% over the same period. Whitney has not reached five percent (5%) in three surveys since September.

This is the first survey to include Cohen who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor but was forced out of that race because of questions about his background and personal life. The wealthy businessman subsequently opted for an aggressive independent gubernatorial candidacy.

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The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Illinois was conducted on October 12, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/-4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Additional data from this survey will be released at rasmussenreports.com/Illinois. Full demographic data is available to Platinum Members only.

The Illinois race for U.S. Senate between Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Alexi Giannoulias is still deadlocked. 

What do Illinois voters think of the four candidates? Which candidate do they think has a better plan for creating jobs? Become a Platinum Member and find out.