SPRINGFIELD — State Sen. Bill Brady released his own internal polling in the Republican governor’s race Wednesday, showing that he is solidly in second place behind private equity investor Bruce Rauner.
The spread by Brady pollster McKeon & Associates had Rauner ahead of the Bloomington Republican by a 32 percent to 24 percent margin – and narrowing, Brady said.
“We believe that support for Mr. Rauner is declining as more Illinois voters become aware of his ties to Democrats, his business dealings and his positions on issues important to them,” Brady said in a prepared statement. “I am the one reliable Republican who can win and who can beat Pat Quinn in November.”
In a live-interview phone poll taken Feb. 18 and 19, McKeon had state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, in third place with 13 percent and state Treasurer Dan Rutherford in last place, with only 3 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
McKeon’s poll and an automated poll taken Tuesday night by We Ask America both had Rauner atop the four-way field, but the surveys differed on the No. 2 slot. We Ask America had Dillard in second place.
“The main takeaway from the findings is it’s going to be a close race simply because of the fact people are gathering information on the race now and they won’t get it from TV commercials,” pollster Mike McKeon told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Whoever has the best base turnout is going to win; and no one has vote for Rauner before and people have voted for Brady before,” he said.
Brady’s campaign did not release cross-tabs for McKeon’s poll.
