Poll Finds Stroger's Approval Rating Worse Than Blago's

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Sep 10, 2009 2:40PM

And you thought Obama had approval rating issues. A new poll released by WGN and the Chicago Tribune claims that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has an abysmal approval rating of 10 percent, which is even lower than Blago's was last fall before his arrest. The poll was made of 300 registered Cook County voters and a full 70 percent of those polled disapproved of Stroger and 72 percent said they don't want to see him re-elected.

Never one to take anything without fighting back, Stroger's office issued the following statement via email, calling the poll "faulty":

Over the past year, I have traveled throughout Cook County, educating the general public on the impact of our government in their communities and their daily lives. And across the County, countless residents have voiced outrage at the biased editorials of the Chicago Tribune and its running attempt to steer an election. Our recent polling data severely conflicts with the so-called ‘data’ that the Chicago Tribune is publishing in this poll, not surprising given the miniscule size of the sample, particularly among minority communities.

That said, I’m not surprised that the Tribune poll fails to accurately capture the opinions of voters - just as I’m not surprised by the ongoing smear campaign this paper mounts against me in their editorial pages. This paper’s owner, Sam Zell, after all, poured over $75,000 in the final weeks of the last primary into the campaign coffers of Forrest Claypool, and has made no secret that the Stroger name is loathed by the editorial pages. I have confidence in the ability of Cook County residents, including those who will vote in the next election, to see through the bias and distortions and support my record of public service.

Update: According to a release from his office, Stroger is also due to make a public statement at 11:15 this morning.