As Election draws near, Topinka closing the gap on Blagojevich

FROM THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER www.sj-r.com


The campaign for Illinois governor is a horse race after all, a new Copley News Service poll shows.

The poll gives Gov. Rod Blagojevich only a 44 percent to 40 percent lead over his Republican opponent, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka with less than a week remaining before the election.

Green Party candidate Rich Whitney has the support of 7 percent of likely voters, according to the poll. Another 9 percent remain undecided.

The gap between Blagojevich and Topinka is within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. Other recent polls have indicated a much wider margin in favor of Blagojevich.

Mason-Dixon Polling & Research conducted the poll of 625 likely voters Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 30-31.

The poll also shows that large numbers of votes still have unfavorable opinions of both Topinka and Blagojevich, but recent stories about federal investigations into corruption in state government are taking a toll on Blagojevich's support.