Illinois: Bobby Schilling Poll Shows Him Over 50 Percent
A new poll done for Rep. Bobby Schilling’s (R-Ill.) re-election campaign showed him with a double-digit lead over former East Moline Alderwoman Cheri Bustos, the Democratic nominee.
The poll — paid for by Schilling’s campaign — gave the Republican a large 16-point lead, 51 percent to 35 percent, over Bustos.
Internal polls aside, Schilling faces the political fight of his life this cycle. A Democratic-led redraw of the Illinois Congressional map drastically changed his district. The 17th district became more favorable to Democrats and now includes almost 50 percent new territory for the Congressman.
For those reasons, Schilling made Roll Call’s Top 10 Vulnerable List in March.
Schilling’s new poll aims to debunk the conventional wisdom that he’s in serious danger cycle. The polling memo points out that Schilling is ahead even while President Barack Obama leads presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, 51 percent to 41 percent, in the sample of the 17th district.
It’s also worth noting that Schilling’s name identification was very high in the survey: 86 percent. Bustos had a name identification of only 51 percent.
The poll surveyed 400 likely voters May 20-22 and had a margin of error of 4.9 points. Here’s the full memo:
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