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Unpopularity contest Blagojevich leads Topinka in polls, but voters don't seem enamored with either.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Eric Krol Daily Herald Political Writer

Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich may be beset by numerous corruption probes, but Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka hasn't been able to exploit the situation, a new Daily Herald/ABC 7 Chicago poll finds.

The governor led Topinka by 16 percentage points, 48 percent to 32 percent, in the poll. And in a sign voters view this as the proverbial "None-of-the-Above" election, little-known Green Party candidate Rich Whitney polled 12 percent support, likely an unprecedented showing for a third-party candidate in Illinois.

The very audience Topinka was supposed to attract - women and suburban voters - are the ones who aren't supporting her, according to the poll. In her three victorious state treasurer campaigns, Topinka, who is from Riverside, did well in Democratic-trending suburban Cook and among women.

In this campaign, though, women voters backed Blagojevich by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio. And the governor led Topinka by 13 percentage points, 45 percent to 32 percent, in suburban Cook, and by 12 percentage points, 47 percent to 35 percent, in the DuPage,...

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