Many not sure about treasurer

Many not sure about treasurer
September 19, 2006

BY SCOTT FORNEK Political Reporter

Democrat Alexander Giannoulias is leading Republican Christine Radogno in the race for state treasurer -- but nearly two out of five voters still have not made up their minds whom to support.

Giannoulias was beating Radogno 36 percent to 23 percent in a Chicago Sun-Times/NBC5 Poll on the treasurer's race. Green Party candidate Dan Rodriguez Schlorff had 2 percent.

If Giannoulias wins, the Democrats would be reclaiming an office the party last held in 1994.

A political newcomer, Giannoulias won the Democratic primary with the strong backing of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). But Giannoulias has been plagued by some negative publicity, including published reports about loans his family-owned bank, Broadway Bank, made to reputed crime figures.

The poll suggests that so far, Radogno, a state senator from west suburban La Grange, has been unable to capitalize on the issue, but with 39 percent of voters undecided, the race remains largely up in the air in the crucial seven weeks leading up to the Nov. 7 election.

'I have very little faith'



"I have seen nothing on either one of the candidates," said Nancy Parmenter, 68, a retired nurse from Downstate Granville who participated in the survey and said she'll remain undecided until she sees more from them.

"I have very little faith in either political party at the moment," she said.

Significant chunks of Democrats and Republicans still have not made up their minds on the race, and independent voters were most likely to remain undecided.

Radogno questioned the results, saying her own internal poll shows her up by four percentage points and two other polls show her down by seven, or in a statistical dead heat.

"I feel pretty confident that those undecideds are going to break our way for a number of reasons," she said.

sfornek@suntimes.com