Chicago Tribune poll: Illinois is deep blue

The findings of this poll don't surprise me, but the Democrats might be shocked if they wake up the day after Election Day to find a Republican Governor-Elect, and a Cook County (Chicago area) Board President of the red-persuasion--due to weak Democratic candidates.

From the Chicago "free registration required" Tribune:

The percentage of Illinois voters who call themselves Democrats is at its highest pre-election level in more than a decade, posing a problem for Republicans trying to win the governor's mansion and key congressional seats, a Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows.

The poll found 43 percent of voters identified themselves as Democrats while a little more than a quarter of the voters identified themselves as Republicans. The 17 percentage point difference ranks among the most polarized partisan spreads in more than 16 years of Tribune surveys taken prior to an election day.

The results of the poll echo surveys taken nationally that show an increase in voters lining up in the Democratic column, a factor attributed to dissatisfaction with the Republican White House and GOP-led Congress on issues ranging from the war in Iraq to economic uncertainties.

The findings of the Tribune poll indicate the potential for trouble in Illinois for Republicans trying to revitalize a political party beset by scandal and infighting. The survey was conducted in the days following the sentencing of former Gov. George Ryan, whose corruption-tainted tenure helped end a quarter century of Republican administrations.

However, the Illinois GOP has not really started its fall campaign push.
Technorati tags: politics Current Affairs Republican Illinois Democrats