The handlers for state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias are touting the results of an August poll his U.S. Senate campaign committee commissioned that shows him with a "solid lead over" 10th Congressional District Congressman Mark Kirk in a head-to-head matchup. The Democratic statewide officer should have a lead over Kirk at this time. After all, the Highland Park Republican represents only a sliver of Illinois, whereas the treasurer has his "Cash Dash" to give his office and name recognition.
But trumpeting a poll of only 805 Illinoisans reached by telephone isn't the largest of samplings in what will be a volatile contest, and especially this early. Of course, Giannoulias is showing his "lead" to other potential Democratic primary challengers for the Senate seat once held by President Obama.
The Giannoulias campaign certainly danced around those poll numbers, though, according to the report in Michael Sneed's column in the Aug. 23 Chicago Sun-Times. Sneed said a source says the treasurer has a lead "outside the margin of error of 3 percent" over Kirk. What, 4 percent? And what does this mean that his campaign told Sneed: "...even after a battery of equally weighted positives and negatives, Giannoulias still came out ahead." Does that mean a negative is a name with lots of vowels in it?
With the poll, state and national Democrats believe at this time Kirk will be the GOP candidate come next fall. Bet Kirk releases a poll soon showing him closer than the Giannoulias camp thinks after only being in the race for less than a month. This one is an election to watch. .
'A solid lead'. Yeah, I bet the people who were contacted by this 'poll' only picked him because they vaguely knew he was the State Treasurer. They didn't say they knew what he stood for and what policies he backed. Given that this will be months of campaigning, Kirk will have the opportunity to force Giannoulias to defend all the policies of his party; and considering the anti-Washington, anti-big government feelings right now, Alexi is going to have to ask Mayor Daley to get the dead to vote more than five times next year.
THE HOUND SAYS: You are correct, sir! Months, months and months of campaigning!