* Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. canceled a scheduled debate with his Democratic primary opponent this morning. It’s pretty clear why. As subscribers already know, Jackson’s latest poll has him leading Debbie Halvorson 59-23. From pollster Celinda Lake’s narrative…

A recent Lake Research Partners survey conducted among likely Democratic primary voters in Illinois’s 2nd Congressional District shows that Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has solidified his support and is leading Debbie Halvorson by 36 percentage points. With a strong majority of likely voters viewing Jesse Jackson, Jr. favorably and approving of his job performance, the Congressman has significantly expanded his already strong lead since the last Lake Research Partners (LRP) poll, conducted in December 2011.

He’s also doing very well with women, so his ads must be working…

Among African American women, a key constituency in the district, Jackson Jr. leads his opponent by 54 percentage points, with 69% of African American women expressing their support for the Congressman, versus 15% for Halvorson. His support among all women is also very strong, with 60% planning to vote for Jesse Jackson, Jr., compared to just 22% of women planning to support Debbie Halvorson.

More…

A strong majority views Jackson Jr. favorably and approves of his job performance, while few Democratic primary voters connect with Debbie Halvorson. Seventy-one percent of likely voters say they have a favorable view of the Congressman and just 21% view him unfavorably. The favorability is up from the December poll, when 61% said they had a favorable view of Jackson Jr. and 29% viewed him unfavorably. Furthermore, 61% of likely voters approve of the Congressman’s job performance, saying that he is doing an excellent or a good job. Twenty-three percent say his job performance is just fair and just 11% believe that Jackson Jr. is doing a poor job. In today’s political environment when very few Americans approve of the U.S. Congress, Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s favorable numbers are exceptionally high.

 Meanwhile, just 41% of voters say they view Debbie Halvorson favorably. While it marks a three percentage point increase from the December poll, Halvorson’s negative numbers have almost tripled over the last three months – up from 8% in December to 22% in March. Furthermore, 23% of voters do not know Jackson Jr.’s challenger well enough to have an opinion of her and another 14% say they have never heard of Debbie Halvorson.

Methodology…

Lake Research Partners designed and administered this telephone survey, using professional interviewers, with 406 likely March 2012 Democratic primary voters in IL-02. The survey was conducted March 8-11, 2012. The margin of error for the total sample is +/-4.9 percentage points and greater for sub-groups.

* Meanwhile, this is probably one the harsher press releases I’ve ever seen. It’s from Cook County Board of Review candidate Dan Patlak and blasts his GOP primary opponent Sean Morrison…

Just to review, Morrison has refused to answer questions about mob connections to his Las Vegas “security” company, lied about having a college degree when he doesn’t, lied to the voters by saying he would lower property taxes when he knows the Board of Review can’t, refused to reply to the actresses he stiffed in his failed reality TV “skimpy bathing suit” fight show. And that’s just the start.

Worst of all, no one except Morrison and his secret donors know who is funding his campaign. Morrison uses a campaign finance loophole to funnel thousands to his false and deceptive ads.

That last part is apparently about a a $127,000 loan that Morrison made to his own campaign. Patlak’s campaign is wondering where he got the money.

* From Tammy Duckworth’s campaign…

Several weeks ago, I asked my opponent to join me in a pledge to reject Super PAC support. I believe that unlimited, anonymous contributions threaten our democracy and should have no place in our political system. To our surprise, my opponent refused to sign the pledge.

Now we’ve found out why. A Super PAC run by his former campaign staff just bought TV ads in the Chicago area in a last ditch attempt to change the outcome of the primary on March 20th.

We can’t let a few wealthy individuals drown out our thousands of grassroots supporters. Contribute $10 now to tell my opponent he won’t get away with trying to buy this election.

But the Super PAC in question doesn’t appear to be all that super. So far, it’s done a $20,000 cable TV buy with maybe another $10K later this week, according to the person running the thing That ain’t much.

* And US Congressman Tim Johnson has endorsed Ron Paul for president…

“I am honored to call Ron Paul my colleague and most importantly my friend. I have always admired Rep. Paul but my respect for this great man’s leadership grows more all the time. He is one of the most principled men I have ever met.

“Whether it be advocating for troop withdrawal, reducing the reach of our government or reforming the tax code and our health care system, Ron Paul has been unwavering and an ideological champion for all of us.”

* Roundup…

* Hinz: Biz group plans to spend $1 million on lawmakers who back pension reform

* State Board of Elections: Cunningham votes shouldn’t count in 11th Dist. race: The Illinois State Board of Elections has recommended that all congressional votes cast for Jack Cunningham should not be counted. However, the final decision still rests with the appellate court.

* VIDEO: Raja for Congress - Endorsements

* VIDEO: Juan Thomas for Congress 2012 Commercial

* AUDIO: David Gill for Congress Radio ad “Sale”

* Ron Paul plans U of I stop

* Santorum in Chicago next Friday night