By Michele Fiore
WBBM 780 AM Reporter
Posted Saturday, October 14, 2006
The Democratic challenger for the 10th Congressional District seat, Dan Seals, says voters who know him are supporting him over incumbent Mark Kirk for the November election.
Seals says a poll of about 400 voters October 10th and 11th gives him a 52 percent lead compared with 38 percent for Kirk.
The poll shows Seals' weakness as name recognition, since it reveals that overall voters who don't know both candidates are supporting Kirk with 49 percent to 32 percent for Seals.
Although the 10th has long voted Republican, newcomer Seals says he believes voters are ready for change. And, Seals says in some of the recent presidential elections the district did support Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
Seals' new ad will begin airing on Monday on broadcast and cable television stations in the Chicago market. Seals says he will spend his entire campaign treasury on television ads. The ad attacks Congressman Mark Kirk's record, saying he voted with President Bush 91 percent of the time, despite calling himself a liberal conservative.
Kirk was not available for comment after the release of the poll. However, his staff offered the results of his own poll conducted this month. It shows Kirk leading Seals 57 to 32 percent, with 11 percent of the voters undecided.
