* An October 2-3 survey of 685 IL-13 voters by Public Policy Polling shows that freshman Republican Congressman Rodney Davis could be hurt by the government shutdown…

Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of the job Representative Rodney Davis is doing in Congress?

Approve …………………………………………………. 32%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 26%

Q2 If the election for Congress were held today, would you vote to re-elect Republican Rodney Davis, or would you vote for his Democratic opponent?

Rodney Davis …………………………………………. 43%
Democratic opponent……………………………….. 44%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%

Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party?

Favorable……………………………………………….. 38%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 49%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%

Q4 Do you support or oppose Congress shutting down major activities of the federal government as a way to stop the health care law from being put into place?

Support ………………………………………………….. 34%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 59%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 7%

Q5 Do you support or oppose Congress holding back on increasing the nation’s borrowing limit, which could result in a default, as a way to stop the health care law from being put into place?

Support ………………………………………………….. 35%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 52%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%

Q6 Would you be less likely or more likely to support Congressman Davis if you knew he voted to support shutting down major activities of the federal government as a way to stop the health care law from being put into place, or does it not make a difference?

Less likely ………………………………………………. 48%
More likely………………………………………………. 33%
No difference ………………………………………….. 15%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 4%

Q7 Now that you know Congressman Davis supported the government shutdown, I’ll ask you one more time: If the election for Congress were held today, would you vote for re-elect Republican Rodney Davis, or would you vote for his Democratic opponent?

Rodney Davis …………………………………………. 42%
Democratic opponent……………………………….. 47%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%

Crosstabs are here.

Obviously, the election is still far away, and this generic Democratic matchup doesn’t take into consideration any weaknesses his general election opponent would have, but it does show some real signs of weakness. It also indicates that a GOP candidate further to his right would likely have a tough time next fall.

* Meanwhile, from the AP…

A southwestern Illinois congressman who is seeking re-election says he had no choice but to be the only U.S. House member to vote against a resolution allowing military chaplains to still perform their duties during the federal government’s shutdown.

Belleville Democrat Bill Enyart was the lone “no” vote of 401 that were cast in the House on the weekend resolution relating to military chaplains who’ve been furloughed since the shutdown began. […]

Enyart calls Saturday’s action “phony” and says it “didn’t do anything.”

* From WSIL TV…

The legislation passed almost unanimously in a vote of 400 to one, leaving Congressman Bill Enyart the odd man out.

“Shocked and upset,” says Illinois Representative Mike Bost.

A candidate for Enyart’s congressional seat, Bost says he’s disappointed by Enyart’s decision, especially since the U.S. House Speaker even asked him to reconsider.

“He was one, the only one, the only one in the United States,” says Bost. “Either that’s not understanding the job or being totally out of touch with your constituents.” […]

“It is phony,” [Enyart] says. “It is designed to do nothing but make these people feel good and to give them a political point that they’re doing something. They didn’t do anything.”

A retired two-star general, Enyart insists he’s more concerned about putting the government back to work.

“You can pray anywhere,” he says. “You can’t just dump your kid anywhere; you can’t just not go to the commissaries to buy groceries to feed your family.”

* In related news…

Most of the roughly 3,500 civilian employees who were furloughed last week at a southwestern Illinois air base as part of the federal government shutdown are headed back to work.

Scott Air Force Base spokeswoman Karen Petitt says the affected workers were notified Sunday that they should be back on the job Monday.

That came after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered 350,000 furloughed military personnel back on the job.

Take a deep breath before you comment, folks. Thanks.