U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard’s gubernatorial campaign scored a victory Wednesday, reaping 56.8 percent of the vote in a straw poll of northwestern Illinois democratic leaders.

Dave Stricklin, Poshard’s press secretary, said the victory is a result of the congressman’s loyal support in the Southern Illinois area. He hinted at a kind of domino effect, initiated by the devotion and hard work of area voters and spreading to Illinois’ northern communities.

It demonstrates to the people in Jackson County and on the SIU campus, who have been so generous in their support of the congressman throughout his entire career, that because of their support, people across the state are coming on board, Stricklin said.

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The survey was taken after a forum sponsored by the Northern Illinois Democratic Coalition. The meeting, conducted in Mendota, provided the four announced Democratic gubernatorial candidates an opportunity to tout their credentials and outline the issues.

Taking part in the forum were Poshard, a Marion native; former U.S. Justice Department official John Schmidt; former Attorney General Roland Burris and retired U.S. Attorney Jim Burns.

At the Sept. 28 forum, 400 Democratic leaders from 18 northern counties (excluding Cook and Dupage counties) cast their ballots for candidates in the six state executive races.

Though the poll does not constitute a sample of the electorate, it does point to an overwhelming amount of support for Poshard among party activists in northwest Illinois. Of the 102 Democratic county chairmen, 85 have endorsed the U.S. representative in his bid for governor.

Poshard has garnered support from several high-profile names in the party, including U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., State Sen. Penny Severns, D-Decatur, and SIUC’s Barb Brown, a lecturer in political science.

However, Schmidt also has received big-name support. On Sunday, Schmidt captured the endorsement of former gubernatorial candidate Dawn Clark Netsch. Schmidt took second in Wednesday’s poll, procuring 17.2 percent of the vote.

Burris, an SIUC graduate, placed third with 13.3 percent, and Burns took fourth with 12.5 percent.

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Schmidt’s press secretary, Becky Carroll, said straw polls are weak, inaccurate indicators of a candidate’s support. Because of the nature of the poll, she said, its results cannot be weighed seriously.

The people will ultimately decide the winner, not this one little group, she said.

Carroll likened the Poshard campaign to that of a famous presidential candidate.

Along the roadside of political history lie the scattered carcasses of straw poll winners, she said. Just ask Phil Gramm.

Despite the statistical integrity of the poll, Poshard’s camp is delighted about the results and optimistic about the congressman’s prospects.

We’re very heartened by these results, Stricklin said. It’s evidence of the fact that the message of Congressman Poshard is carrying and has been well received in areas far from his geographical base.

Neither the Burris campaign nor the Burns campaign were available for comment.