GOP poll: Rep. Schneider trails Dold in Illinois

Freshman Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) narrowly trails former Rep. Bob Dold (R-Ill.), according to a new poll conducted for the Republican outside group American Action Network.

{mosads}Dold leads Schneider by 42 percent to 39 percent in the automated poll, conducted by GOP firm Harper Polling.

Schneider barely beat Dold in 2012, and the two are locked in a tough rematch in a Democratic-leaning district that takes in Chicago’s north suburbs.

The poll indicates Schneider hasn’t made a lasting impression on the voters — nearly half of those in the survey don’t have an opinion of him, with the rest split pretty evenly for and against him.

The gubernatorial race may be a drag on Schneider and other Democrats in the state. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D), one of the more unpopular incumbent governors in the country, trails businessman Bruce Rauner (R) by double digits in the poll. President Obama won the district by a 16-point margin in 2012 but his approval rating is slightly underwater there now, according to the poll.

Partisan polls should always be taken with a grain of salt. But this survey indicates a tight race that will be a top target for both parties this fall.

Schneider’s campaign fired back at the poll.

“It comes as no surprise that a republican Super PAC would deliver a poll designed to boost Dold, a reliable Republican who voted to turn the Medicare guarantee into a voucher system, roll back environmental protections, defund Planned Parenthood and limit women’s access to lifesaving care,” Schneider campaign manager Jamie Patton told The Hill in an email.

The automated poll of 400 likely voters was conducted from June 24-25 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.

This post was updated at 11:50 a.m.