1968 United States Senate election in Illinois

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1968 United States Senate election in Illinois
Flag of Illinois (1915-1969).svg
  1962 November 5, 1968 1970 (special)  
Turnout78.39%
  EverettDirksen.jpg Judge William G. Clark.png
Nominee Everett M. Dirksen William G. Clark
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote2,358,9472,073,242
Percentage53.01%46.59%

1968 senate election in IL.svg
County results
Dirksen:     50-60%     60-70%     70-80%
Clark:     50–60%

Senator before election

Everett M. Dirksen
Republican

Elected Senator

Everett M. Dirksen
Republican

The 1968 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 5, 1968 [1] to elect one of Illinois's members to the United States Senate. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator and Minority Leader Everett Dirksen won re-election to his fourth term.

Contents

Background

The primaries and general election coincided with those for other federal (United States president and House) and those for state elections.

Primaries were held on June 11. [1] [2]

Turnout in the primary elections was 23.90%, with a total of 1,303,375 votes cast. [1] [3]

Turnout during the general election was 78.39%, with 4,449,757 votes cast. [1]

Democratic primary

Illinois Attorney General William G. Clark won the Democratic primary, running unopposed.

Democratic primary [1] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic William G. Clark 627,361 99.97
Write-in Others2180.04
Total votes627,579 100

Republican primary

Incumbent U.S. Senator, and Senate Minority Leader, Everett M. Dirksen, won renomination over Roy C. Johnson.

Republican primary [1] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Everett McKinley Dirksen (incumbent) 622,710 92.15
Republican Roy C. Johnson53,0697.85
Write-in Others170.00
Total votes675,796 100

General election

Results

Dirksen carried 99 of the state's 102 counties. [1] Clark, however, carried the state's most populous county, Cook County, taking 54.07% of the vote, to Dirksen's 45.52%. [1] Since Cook County was home to 50.65% of the votes cast in the election, the final result of the election was close, despite Dirksen winning a landslide 60.70% of the vote to Clark's 38.92% in the other 101 counties of the state. [1]

Additionally, in Cook County's principal city, Chicago (from which 31.02% of all statewide ballots were cast), Clark won 63.90% of the vote to Dirksen's 35.58%. [1] Clark's majority in Chicago and Cook County was insufficient to roll back Dirksen's large majorities in the Chicago suburbs and Downstate.

United States Senate election in Illinois, 1968 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Everett M. Dirksen (incumbent) 2,358,947 53.01
Democratic William G. Clark 2,073,24246.59
Socialist Labor Louis Fisher 17,5420.39
Write-in Others260.00
Total votes4,449,757 100.00

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 5, 1968 JUDICIAL PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, JUNE, 11, 1972" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved June 26, 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 Illinois Blue Book 1967-1968. Illinois Secretary of State. p. 884. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 4, 1986" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 10, 2020.[ permanent dead link ]