Hoffman poll suggests hits on Giannoulias are potent

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) leads state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias 40-37 and former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman 40-30, but hits on the Giannoulias family bank loom large, according to a poll conducted for Hoffman’s Senate campaign and obtained by The Hill.

The two Democrats are battling in the February primary, with the underdog Hoffman making the case that he is a better general election opponent than the favorite Giannoulias.

While Hoffman trails by more than Giannoulias, the Hart Research Associates poll says Hoffman’s early deficit is largely due to his name recognition deficit, and it notes that several hits on Giannoulias test as quite damaging. Mentions of the Giannoulias family bank’s business with convicted political fixer Tony Rezko, for example, are considered “very concerning” by more than 60 percent of voters, while 18 percent of voters said it was unfair to criticize Giannoulias over the bank issue.

The Broadway Bank issue is at the heart of Hoffman’s argument as a better general election candidate. To see the descriptors for yourself, check out the full survey.

After positives and negatives are read for each candidate, Kirk leads Giannoulias 47-30, and Hoffman leads Kirk 42-36.

Giannoulias’s name ID is 51 percent, compared to 26 percent for Hoffman.

“Voters whom David Hoffman wins at the end but Alexi Giannoulias does not, are the key to a Democratic victory in 2010,” pollster Geoff Garin writes. “These voters are more likely than average to be soft Democrats and independents (Giannoulias is trounced among independents in the final trial heat). They are alarmed by Mark Kirk’s ties to corporate special interests and his commitment to the economic policies of the Bush administration, but are even more concerned by the criticisms of Giannoulias regarding the Broadway Bank.”

A poll for Giannoulias’s campaign last month showed him leading Kirk 46-43, while Kirk led Hoffman 48-39.

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: Giannoulias campaign manager Tom Bowen said in a statement that Hoffman's conduct is hurting the Democrats.

“Every public poll shows Alexi Giannoulias leading or neck and neck with Mark Kirk, while David Hoffman is trailing badly," Bowen said. "He is behind, desperate, and now he is running a negative and dishonest campaign, preferring to attack fellow Democrats instead of telling us what he would do in the Senate. Just last week, the Chicago Tribune caught him falsely attacking Alexi Giannoulias and he was forced to apologize."

Bowen's reference is here.