5th Supreme Court District Republican candidate Lloyd Karmeier is leading Democrat Gordon Maag, according to a new poll commissioned by a biz group and conducted by a GOP pollster. The poll has Karmeier leading 43-40 with 17 percent undecided. The survey of likely voters was taken Oct 17 and 18 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent. Here’s more.

A September poll by the same group had Karmeier leading 40% to 37% with 21% undecided. [Snip]

16% of those interviewed viewed Maag positively and 17% viewed him negatively. 22% viewed Karmeier positively and only 9% saw him negatively.

The poll had some other things to say about the district as well, according to the article:

67% of respondents feel the Illinois Supreme Court is headed in the “wrong direction,” and only 12% believe the high court is headed in the right direction.

The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, a strong backer of Maag, was viewed favorably by 21% of respondents and unfavorably by 38%.

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce was viewed favorably by 59% of respondents and unfavorably by 11%

President George W. Bush leads Democrat challenger Sen. John Kerry 45% to 42% among respondents. Bush led Kerry 48% to 41% in the September poll

In the race for U.S. Senate, Democrat Barack Obama led Republican Alan Keyes, 52% to 27%