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Republicans are seeking to downplay any talk that Rep. Judy Biggert (R) could be in a competitive race after her opponent outraised her in the second quarter, and they passed around an internal poll Wednesday that showed Biggert way ahead.
The Biggert poll, conducted by American Viewpoint Inc., was done in mid-June and showed the incumbent holding a 55-30 lead, with a job approval rating of 67 percent.
Democrat Scott Harper’s campaign disputed those numbers, citing its own polling data, which it says shows the incumbent’s job approval below 50 percent.
Biggert has not won by a margin of less than 16 percent in any of her previous five general-election races, but Harper has garnered some attention by outraising her by a small margin during the second quarter — albeit one that only existed thanks to a $50,000 loan the Democrat made to his own campaign.
The challenger also pulled in nearly $60,000 more in individual contributions than Biggert did during the same period.
Illinois Democrats are looking forward to a boost from having Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) at the top of the ticket.
Harper’s campaign manager, Sarah Topy, said the Biggert campaign’s decision to release the poll underscored the race’s competitiveness, arguing that Harper is the most serious challenger Biggert has ever faced.
“This is a real race,” Topy added. “Voters are tired of failed leadership and the Bush-Biggert agenda.”
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