U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) has a 23-point lead over GOP challenger Jim Oberweis, according to a new poll conducted by APC Research Inc. on behalf of the Chicago Tribune.

The telephone poll of 800 registered voters in the state shows that 55 percent of respondents plan to vote for Durbin, while 32 percent of respondents said they will opt for Oberweis, a Republican Illinois state senator from Sugar Grove. 

Five percent of those polled said they are in support of Libertarian candidate Sharon Hansen. And 7 percent of the respondents were undecided.

The poll was conducted September 3 through September 12 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. 

Click through for the newspaper's analysis of the poll results.