Illinois primary: Republican voters holding their noses in chosing Romney, Santorum

Polls have been heading in Mitt Romney’s favor in the weeks leading up today’s Republican primary in Illinois but whoever wins won’t exactly be popular.

More than four in ten voters who cast ballots today “have reservations” about the candidate they chose, according to CBS News. Another ten percent simply chose their candidate out of dislike for the others.

Fully 41 percent of Romney voters and 44 percent of Santorum voters said they had concerns about their choice, according to the television news broadcaster.

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During CNN’s the Situation Room broadcast today, presenter John King said CNN exit polls showed that most voters identified themselves as suburban conservatives.

The most important issue for 39 percent of Illinois Republican voters today, the largest group, was the economy, while 26 percent cited the economy.

Forty percent said they believed the economy was getting worse while just 19 percent said they believed the US was now in a recovery.

Twenty eight percent said they were “very conservative,” 37 percent said they were “somewhat” conservative and 35 percent said they were moderate to liberal, according to CNN.

In a key number for Santorum, 11 percent were rural voters, 71 percent were suburban and 18 percent were urban.

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The Chicago Sun-Times quoted one voterin Urbana who seemed thoroughly disenchanted.

“On all the issues, I disagree with [Romney] less than I do anyone else,” Cherie Fletcher was quoted as saying. “I am not a strong supporter of anybody…. Isn’t that terrible?”

Fifty-four of Illinois’s 69 delegates are at stake. Polls close at 8 pm.