Barack Obama continues to hold a solid lead over John McCain in his home state of Illinois. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds Obama on top 56% to 39%.

The latest numbers are nearly identical to the race a month ago, when Obama, the state's junior U.S. senator, led 56% to 40%.

Nationally, the Democrat has held a steady lead over McCain over the last several weeks in the Daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Dick Durbin has a two-to-one lead over his Republican challenger Steve Sauerberg in the U.S. Senate race in Illinois, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports findings released earlier today.

McCain leads among unaffiliated voters in Illinois, 51% to 44%. The two candidates are tied among white voters at 47%, while Obama has a dominant lead among non-white voters. Obama leads 57% to 41% among men and 56% to 37% among women in the state.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).

Voters in Illinois give their junior senator positive reviews. Obama is viewed favorably by 69% and unfavorably by 29%. McCain’s numbers are 47% favorable, 51% unfavorable.

Half of voters in Illinois say the top electoral issue is the economy, and 57% of voters trust Obama more to handle the national economy. The majority (60%) also believes Obama would help the state’s economy the most.

On national security, Illinois voters trust Obama more than McCain by a 52% to 43% margin. McCain in most parts of the country leads Obama on this issue.

Rasmussen Markets data shows that Obama is currently given a 98.0% chance of winning Illinois’ 21 Electoral College votes this fall. Not only is the Democratic presidential nominee a longtime Illinois resident but the state is one of the most reliably Democratic in the Midwest. Illinois has gone for the party’s presidential candidate in the last four elections, including John Kerry who carried it by 10 points in 2004.