Source: Poll Shows Tight Races for Supreme Court
Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride speaks at a Chicago Bar Association event in 2014.
A source with knowledge of recent polling tells The Illinoize that the retention race for Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride as well as a battle for a southern Illinois Supreme Court seat are both neck and neck.
The independent polls, done late last week show a dead heat in the retention battle for Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride. Kilbride needs 60% of the vote to keep his seat, but we’re told recent polling shows a statistical dead heat for the two efforts. This late in the race, that means a large number of undecided voters would have to support Kilbride to get him over the finish line.
Neither the Kilbride campaign or Citizens for Judicial Fairness, the group opposing Kilbride’s retention, would comment on polling.
Citizens for Judicial Fairness has been buoyed by $5 million from billionaire Ken Griffin and has paid for millions in television ads and mailers opposing Kilbride. Much of Kilbride’s support comes from unions and trial lawyers. He also received $550,000 from the Democratic Party of Illinois, who Kilbride has been criticized for being too close to.
Citizens for Judicial Fairness has also recently begun a string of stinging attack ads on southern Illinois Democratic Supreme Court candidate Judy Cates. Cates faces Republican David Overstreet for the seat currently held by Justice Lloyd Karmeier, who is retiring.
We’re told the recent poll shows Cates with a one-point lead on Overstreet, though the poll was taken before negative ads on Cates began to take root.
Jesse Johnson, Overstreet’s campaign manager, disputed the result of the poll.
“During this political climate, polls are unreliable at best,” Johnson said. “We are confident Justice Overstreet has run the best campaign and voters will elect him to the Supreme Court Tuesday.”
Similar to Kilbride, Cates has been buoyed by hundreds of thousands of dollars from trial lawyers and unions.
A spokesman for Cates did not return a message seeking comment.