GOP Pollster: Pritzker Used Numbers to "Cherry Pick" Favorable Economic Statistic
Governor JB Pritzker speaking at a news conference in Chicago Monday.
NOTE: This story was originally posted for subscribers only. To receive subscriber-only newsletters and content, click here.
Governor JB Pritzker cited a Republican-commissioned poll Monday showing Illinoisans are more optimistic about the state economy than many national polls show, but the pollster says Pritzker isn’t painting the whole picture.
Pritzker cited a poll taken by GOP consultant Cor Strategies for their “Empower to Win” platform that shows 51% of people are “optimistic” about the Illinois economy.
Collin Corbett, the owner of the firm, confirmed Pritzker cited a poll question the firm recently made public.
(Disclosure: Collin is a friend, I’ve appeared on his podcast, we worked some campaigns together, and he’s done some polling for this newsletter.)
Pritzker crowed about the positive news.
“We’re actually solving problems and actually making things better,” he said. “In the end, it’s good policy that makes good politics.”
But Corbett sent The Illinoize the results of two other questions in his poll that don’t paint such a rosy picture.
A plurality of voters believe the state is either “somewhat” or “very” expensive to live in and 51% believe it is likely they will move away from Illinois at some point.
“Illinoisans complain it is too expensive to live in this state right now and a majority of our residents want to leave and move to another state,” Corbett said. “Pritzker and state Democrats are extremely vulnerable to an economic message, but it’s not the same copy and paste message Republicans have used in the past.
He said Pritzker is trying to paint sobering stats in a positive light.
“The governor can cherry pick a few favorable stats all he wants, but the truth is many Illinoisans can't afford to live in this state and a majority want to leave,” Corbett said. “For a governor who claims to represent working families, those aren't stats to be proud of.”
Pritzker, though, was not deterred.
“It shows there’s progress, and certainly in Illinois, there is more optimism,” he said.
