Poll: Obama ahead of Ryan by 8 points in Senate race

[Freddie Stubbs]

May 18, 2004

BY KRISTEN MCQUEARY Advertisement


Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican Jack Ryan 48 percent to 40 percent in the U.S. Senate race, according to a new Daily Southtown poll of 500 likely Illinois voters.

Previous polls and Obama's internal polls had suggested a wider gap.

Ryan's campaign greeted the results as evidence Ryan is within striking distance; Obama backers expressed confidence that Obama, a state senator who pounded his opponents in the primary, would stay ahead throughout the campaign.

"Now that it's just the two of them and people are paying more attention and getting more information about them, they are seeing that Jack's vision for Illinois is more mainstream," Ryan spokesman Kelli Phiel said.

more: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-poll18.html

[Kolesar]

1. Is Ryan the incumbent or is this an open seat? ......... eom

[hedda_foil]

2. It's an open seat.

The incumbent, Fitzgerald (R) is leaving.

[madrchsod]

3. well i`m glad the obama people

think he`s going to win..i guess they feel that most of northern il is a write-off..if they think those 8 points are good enough then they have their heads in the sand...illinois democrats,oh well......

[Nailzberg]

4. I keep telling saying that.

Just because we elected a democratic govenor doesn't make IL a democratic state. There wasn't a Repub Gov for three decades straight by a fluke. It's a very independant state, and assuming victory this early is a sure way to lose an election. Upsets happen this way.

[madrchsod]

5. the local demo party doesn`t have

an obama sign in their window..i won`t deal with any of them do to personal reasons. i haven`t checked with lasalle county which is a democratic district in northern il maybe i can get with them...

[lil-petunia]

6. Fitzgerald's a loss

I never met the man, although my sis worked with him for years. He served Illinois pretty well - by getting another fitzgerald to step on the politico-powerhungry combine running Illinois, he done good, or at least not bad. But being indie in this state is always a good thing.

that said, having a reactionary like Ryan in office would be scary. Obama seems like he will serve equally well as senator. I just hope he doesn't rest on his lead.