* Press release…

A new poll of Illinois’ 17th Congressional District Democratic voters conducted last week shows former state Rep. Litesa Wallace leading a crowded field of deep-pocketed rivals.

According to the poll by Triton Polling & Research of 522 registered voters and paid for by the Wallace campaign, she leads with 22.1 percent of the vote, trailed by former regional weatherman Eric Sorenson with 18.6 percent and nobody else in the field garnering more than 9 percent.

Rockford alderman Jonathan Logemann, preferred by many establishment figures, netted only 4.9 percent in a poll with a 4.3 percent margin of error.

Wallace’s name identification showed room to grow at 43.6 percent, compared to Sorenson at 51.4. Logemann was at 31.1 percent.

Wallace was trusted to “get things done for working families” by 20.9 percent of the respondents, leading the field.

“Voters know Litesa’s an advocate who gets things done for women, children and working families,” said Dulana Reese, Wallace campaign manager.

The polling began on May 2nd, the day Politico published the leaked U.S. Supreme Court opinion showing the vote to eliminate Roe vs. Wade abortion protections. It concluded May 5th.

“Once voters realize that abortion rights are on the ballot in November and that Rep. Wallace has a proven track record of making Illinois a haven state and standing up for reproductive freedom, we expect Litesa’s advantage to grow,” Reese said.

“The Republican frontrunner in this race is Esther Joy King, an extremist on abortion who believes in no exceptions for girls and women, even in cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. Rep. Wallace will bring the biggest contrast in our efforts to retain the seat currently held by Rep. Cheri Bustos,” Reese said.

Rep. Wallace previously served three terms in Springfield as the State Representative from Rockford’s 67th District. She gained national attention in 2018 when she ran for Lt. Governor alongside Daniel Biss in the Democratic primary for Governor.

She has been endorsed by SEIU Illinois, Winnebago County Citizens for Choice, the Collective PAC, Democracy for America, and a long list of elected officials in the 17th District and across Illinois.

Rep. Wallace is running to represent the newly drawn 17th District, which includes most of Peoria, Rockford, Freeport, the Quad Cities, Bloomington-Normal, Macomb, and Galesburg.

The poll was taken May 2-5. Click here for the toplines, which show that 60 percent of respondents said they always vote and another 35 percent said they were very likely to vote in the primary.

* There was also this mild push question asked after the favorability and head-to-head questions (with initial head to head results in parentheses)…

Of the candidates for Representative of U.S. House Illinois District 17, who do you trust to get things done for working families?

Alderman Jonathan Logemann 5.8 (4.9)
Cannabis lobbyist Jacqueline McGowan 4.5 (2.3)
County Board Member Angie Normoyle 8.0 (7.7)
TV Weatherman Eric Sorensen 16.8 (18.6)
Counselor & Experienced Legislator Litesa Wallace 20.9 (22.1)
Admissions advisor Marsha Williams 0.9 (2.9)

Not Sure / Don’t Know 43.1 (41.5)

Kinda interesting that her numbers went down a tiny bit when “experienced legislator” was mentioned.

More on the candidates here.