SPRINGFIELD - Illinoisans view Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama as more capable of guiding the economy, better equipped to resolve the Iraq war, and generally more in touch with their problems than Republican John McCain, according to a new poll for Lee Newspapers. | Closer look at new Illinois poll numbers

Although McCain continues to score higher on the question of who can better protect America from another terrorist attack, the poll found Obama leading the presidential race in Illinois by virtually every other measure.

The poll of 800 likely Illinois voters gives Obama a decisive 59-35 lead over McCain in a state already assumed to be an Obama stronghold.

The Research 2000 Illinois Poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 20-23. The poll's margin for error is 3.5 percentage points, which means that any individual number could be that much higher or lower.

The Illinois data corresponds with earlier polling showing that Obama is a clear-cut favorite in his home state, where he has served as a state senator and U.S. senator.

"Obama gets stronger with every poll," said Research 2000 President Del Ali. "It's not a state that Obama has got to spend a whole lot of time in, except election night if he's going to party or something."

The poll found an average of 61 percent of respondents saying Obama's race would not be an important factor in the outcome of the Nov. 4 balloting.

Asked whether the country is ready to elect an African-American as president, 74 percent answered "yes."

When asked which candidate is trusted more on the issue of the economy, respondents chose Obama over McCain by a 61 percent to 33 percent margin.

Asked which candidate is most trusted to handle the financial crisis, 44 percent said Obama, 19 percent said McCain and 37 percent were unsure.

Tired of candidate attacks

Poll respondent Debbie Lavin of Alton said she generally votes Republican but is undecided as the race heads into its final week.

"I'm really tired of them hitting each other in the head," said Lavin, who recently retired. "I really don't know which way I'm going on this and the more they slam each other, the worse it gets."

Another poll respondent, Cheryl O'Neil of Sterling describes herself as an independent and only recently decided to back Obama.

"I was on the fence for a long time. I was going to go the other way because I like Sarah Palin. But the last debate really did it for me," O'Neil said.

The latest numbers track with what Research 2000 has found in previous surveys. Since January, favorable opinions of Obama have grown, while favorable opinions of McCain have diminished.

In general, the poll found a majority of Illinoisans disapprove of the financial bailout package approved by Congress and supported by both Obama and McCain. When it came to casting blame for the economic meltdown, respondents pinned the problem on corporations, followed by corporate lobbyists and a lack of government oversight.

On issues including the war in Iraq, international affairs, taxes, energy and health care, Obama was seen as more trusted than McCain.

However, respondents put McCain just slightly ahead of Obama on the question of the U.S. campaign against terrorism, giving the Arizona senator a 50 percent rating to Obama's 45 percent.

For McCain, the poll shows he enjoys his biggest support in Chicago's collar counties. The poll shows Obama should win at least two-thirds of the vote in Chicago and Cook County, while getting anywhere from 55 percent to 57 percent of the vote in central and southern Illinois.

Obama also is winning the battle for independents in Illinois. The poll found Obama with a 58-33 lead among people who identified themselves as neither Republican or Democrat.