* The wording here is kinda hilarious. To be clear, any Republican would have “support” against a Democrat in Cook County…

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Jim Durkin, the former House minority leader, is still mulling a run for Cook County state’s attorney — and he’s got polling that shows he’d have support against a Democrat.

The survey by Coefficient identifies Durkin, a former Cook County prosecutor, as being “tough on crime” but also backing the assault weapons ban. He was one of only two Republicans to do so when he served in the Illinois House.

By the numbers: The poll shows most people in Cook County support President Joe Biden. Then, it asks, “regardless of your vote for president, would you consider voting for a reform Republican like Jim Durkin?” The answers: 34 percent of women and 46 percent of men said yes.

Durkin would face the winner of the Democratic Party primary, which is a battle between Clayton Harris III, a lawyer and lobbyist who’s been handpicked by Cook County Party Chair Toni Preckwinkle, and former Illinois Appellate Court Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke.

The result is obtained after asking eleven questions, including blatant push questions about how Durkin is “tough on crime,” how he’d created a “multi-prong plan” to address crime, how he voted for the assault weapons ban and how he’d been given the “Defender of the Innocent” award, along with other questions about Kim Foxx, etc.

Also, the final question is misquoted by the above media outlet. The pollster doesn’t ask if respondents would “vote” for Durkin, it asks if they would “consider supporting a reform Republican like Jim Durkin to represent you as your Cook County district attorney” [sic]…

Yes 40 percent
No 25 percent
Unsure 35 percent

Man. That is one heckuva snowjob.

I have always loved me some Jim Durkin, but c’mon, man.

* Let’s move on to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s favorables…

Keep in mind that this is a county-wide poll, so the Chicago-only numbers have a significantly higher margin of error. Even so, not great.

More county-wide Mayor Johnson fave/unfaves, which might be useful when thinking about suburban legislative candidates…

* President Biden…

Coefficient was Gary Rabine’s pollster.