Like the Rasmussen poll released last week, the new statewide survey by Public Policy Polling frames the U.S. Senate race as a "tossup."  It shows Democrat Alexi Giannoulias leading Republican Mark Kirk 31-30 percent, with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones peeling off 14 percent of voters and another 24 remaining undecided. Below are the results, with the findings of an April and January 2010 PPP poll in parentheses:

Giannoulias: 31% (33%, 42%)
Kirk: 30% (37%, 34%)

As you can see, both candidates appear to have lost some ground since the April poll.  Kirk's support has slipped to a greater degree, however, and that's no surprise considering the recent controversy surrounding his embellishment of his military record.  Indeed, only 10 percent of respondents -- and only 17 percent of Republicans -- agreed that Kirk "has been truthful about his military record."

Gianoulias should be pleased with his standing among self-described "Moderate" respondents, who side with the Democrat by six percentage points. "Independents," however, favor Kirk 26 to 20 percent. What's the discrepancy? The latter category likely includes Tea Party activists who hold conservative positions but don't identify with the Republican party.

The poll also found that a slim plurality of respondents favor the health care reform bill, including 51 percent of moderates. That appears to conflict with the latest Rasmussen survey, which found a majority in favor of repeal.

Read the full PPP memo and questionnaire (with crosstabs) below: