IL-14: Internal Poll Shows Oberweis Looking Strong

Dairy magnate Jim Oberweis, a candidate for the open seat of retiring Republican Rep. Dennis Hastert, released an internal poll this week that shows him looking strong in the upcoming special election.  From McLaughlin & Associates (R) (10/16-18, likely voters):

Jim Oberweis (R): 49%
Bill Foster (D): 22%
Undecided: 29%

Jim Oberweis (R): 47%
John Laesch (D): 27%
Undecided: 26%

Jim Oberweis (R): 47%
Jotham Stein (D): 20%
Undecided: 33%
(MoE: 5.7%)

Huge leads in every scenario for Oberweis.  If accurate, he’s in a strong position to retain this seat for the GOP.  To the best of my knowledge, Foster, the self-funding physicist, has yet to go up on the air (Oberweis has been running commercials), so his numbers are dampened by a general lack of name ID.  Still, that is a tough position to claw back from in a district that gave 55% of its vote to Bush in 2004.

The one caveat: the GOP primary still looks unsettled at this point.

Jim Oberweis (R): 41%
Chris Lauzen (R): 37%
Kevin Burns (R): 3%
Undecided: 19%
(MoE: 5.4%)

Not a commanding lead for Obie-Wan just yet, although he definitely has the cash to smoke Lauzen, a state senator, out of contention.

12 thoughts on “IL-14: Internal Poll Shows Oberweis Looking Strong”

  1. For starters, the PVI is R+6 in a blue state.  So it’s got a significant Republican lead.  But, I’m sure commercials that up Foster’s name recognition and profile would significantly change the dynamics of the polling. 

  2. Oberweis ran at least three statewide campaigns, two for senate and one for governor, and although he lost the primaries all those times, he’s still a well-known figure in a Republican district. I don’t find these numbers surprising, especially coming from a partisan Republican poll.

    I’d like to see a poll with Lauzen as the GOP nominee. Personally, I’d be happy if a Democrat gets within 10 points of Oberweis

  3. Is he on the air yet?  If he isn’t, I wouldn’t designate Oberweis the nominee yet.  Lauzen has some solid numbers. 

  5. Interesting to me that none of the comments so far take any note of the fact that John Laesch does a bit better than the other Democrats, in the results of that poll.

    Not that any of them do encouragingly well.

    What are Oberweis’s negatives? Why did his own party’s registered voters reject him, all three times?

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