Poll: Obama, McCain lead in Illinois

CHICAGO, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Those interviewed for a new poll before Tuesday's Illinois primary favored Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain over their closest presidential rivals.

Obama, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, garnered 55 percent of likely primary voters interviewed with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., getting 24 percent in the Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll.

McCain, a Republican from Arizona received 43 percent in the poll, while 20 percent favored former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 15 percent favored former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and 4 percent said they would vote for Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, the Tribune said Saturday.

Many of those interviewed, however, said they were undecided or could change their mind before Tuesday's primary, the Tribune reported.

The survey interviewed 500 Republicans and 500 Democrats and had a margin of error of 4.4 percent. The Democratic poll began Tuesday and the Republican poll began Wednesday with both polls ending Thursday.