According to a new poll from Rasmussen Reports, Dan Hynes leads former Attorney General and GOP frontrunner Jim Ryan in a general election matchup, with Dan carrying Illinois 42% to 40%.
This confirms another Rasmussen poll from last week that showed Dan leading all other major GOP candidates (Kirk Dillard, Andy McKenna, and Bill Brady) by at least thirteen points. No matter who the Republicans nominate in February, Dan is positioned to guarantee that the Democrats keep control of the Governor's office in 2011 and beyond.
But the picture gets a little muddled when the Republicans are tested against Pat Quinn. Quinn loses to Ryan 46%-39% - a nine point change in margin of victory from Dan's. While Quinn does manage to beat the other three Republicans, his margin of victory in each case is smaller than Dan's.
Now I know that this is a Rasmussen poll and that they tilt significantly to the right, but that doesn't matter when looking comparatively at Quinn and Hynes against Kirk. The bottom line is simple: Hynes is the bestIL candidate to help keep Illinois in Democratic hands.
We all know that the Republicans are looking at 2010 as their chance to put a dent in President Obama's majority - especially at the statehouse level. We can't afford to let this happen, least of all in Illinois. Ben Smith of Politico added that "Hynes looks strong" in the 2010 race - we need the strongest Democrat possible in 2010. We need a Democrat who will treat voters like adults and offer real solutions to our problems, so we can move our state forward based on progressive ideals.
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