* We have a new Loras College poll…

Tammy Duckworth 42 percent
Mark Kirk 34 percent

Unsure 18 percent
Other candidates 6 percent

The poll was taken before most news reports emerged about Kirk’s controversial debate comments regarding Duckworth’s heritage.

* More…

Duckworth has a commanding edge over Kirk within the City of Chicago (62 percent to 17 percent), while the two draw even in the Chicago suburbs 38 percent each, and Kirk holds a slim lead in the rest of the state 38 percent to 36 percent.

Turning to the question of favorability ratings for the U.S. Senate, Tammy Duckworth enjoys a +13 net favorability, while Senator Kirk has a +1 favorability.

Other noteworthy results from the poll

54 percent of likely voters in Illinois approve of President Barack Obama’s job performance, while 41 percent disapprove.

53 percent of Illinois likely voters see the country headed in the wrong direction, while 76 percent say the state of Illinois is headed in the wrong direction. Only 14 percent of those polled indicated that the state was headed on the right track.

Kirk remains a relatively unknown quantity even after almost 6 years in the Senate. According to the toplines, Kirk’s total favorables (32 percent) and his total unfavorables (28 percent) add up to just 60 percent who can rate him. That total is 70 percent for Duckworth (41-29).

* Presidential…

Hillary Clinton 45 percent
Donald Trump 34 percent
Gary Johnson 6 percent
Jill Stein 2 percent

Unsure 13 percent

So, Trump and Kirk are polling even? Whew.

Keep in mind, though, the poll doesn’t take into account the aftermath of last week’s e-mail weirdness.

* Methodology…

The Loras College Poll surveyed 600 likely voters in Illinois. The survey was conducted Oct. 26-27. Margin of error for full sample is +/- 4 percent. Results calculated at a 95 percent confidence interval.

45 percent of the respondents were contacted via their mobile phones.