The 1994 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Edgar won reelection in the largest landslide in over a century, after the elections of 1818 and 1848.
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Turnout | 50.77% ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||
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![]() County results Edgar: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Netsch: 40–50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Edgar carried 101 of the state's 102 counties over the Democratic nominee, State Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch, with Netsch only winning Gallatin County by a narrow margin. This was the first time in Illinois that a woman was a major party's nominee for governor, with 2006 being the only other time.
To date, this is the most recent statewide election in which Cook County voted for a Republican candidate, a Republican governor won a second term in Illinois, and the last time any candidate received over 60% of the vote.
Election information
editThe primaries and general elections coincided with those for congress, as well as those for other state offices. The election was part of the 1994 Illinois elections.
The 1994 midterm elections saw a strong showing by the Republican Party, which was dubbed the "Republican Revolution".
Turnout
editFor the primaries, turnout for the gubernatorial primaries was 29.16%, with 1,794,357 votes cast and turnout for the lieutenant gubernatorial primaries was 23.44% with 1,442,160 votes cast.[1] For the general election, turnout was 50.77%, with 3,106,556 votes cast.[2]
Democratic primaries
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- Roland Burris, Illinois Attorney General
- James Elroy Gierach
- Sheila A. Jones, perennial candidate
- Dawn Clark Netsch, Illinois Comptroller
- Richard Phelan, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Dawn Clark Netsch | 487,364 | 44.35 | |
Democratic | Roland W. Burris | 401,142 | 36.50 | |
Democratic | Richard Phelan | 160,576 | 14.61 | |
Democratic | James Elroy Gierach | 26,752 | 2.43 | |
Democratic | Sheila A. Jones | 23,191 | 2.11 | |
Total votes | 1,099,025 | 100.00 |
Lieutenant governor
editCandidates
edit- Anthony P. Harper
- Penny Severns, Illinois State Senator
- Sheila Smith
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Penny Severns | 406,510 | 45.75 | |
Democratic | Sheila Smith | 366,760 | 41.27 | |
Democratic | Anthony P. Harper | 115,347 | 12.98 | |
Total votes | 888,617 | 100 |
Republican primaries
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- Jim Edgar, incumbent governor
- Jack Roeser, businessman
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Edgar (incumbent) | 521,590 | 75.01 | |
Republican | Jack Roeser | 173,742 | 23.89 | |
Total votes | 695,332 | 100.00 |
Lieutenant governor
editCandidates
edit- Bob Kustra, incumbent lieutenant governor
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Bob Kustra (incumbent) | 553,543 | 100 | |
Total votes | 553,543 | 100 |
General election
editPolling
editSource | Date | Jim Edgar (R) |
Dawn Clark Netsch (D) |
---|---|---|---|
Chicago Tribune | October 30, 1994 | 60% | 25% |
Chicago Tribune | October 23, 1994 | 61% | 22% |
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Edgar (incumbent) | 1,984,318 | 63.9 | +13.1 | |
Democratic | Dawn Clark Netsch | 1,069,850 | 34.4 | −13.8 | |
Libertarian | David L. Kelley | 52,388 | 1.69 | +1.69 | |
N/A | write-ins | 10 | 0.0 | n−a | |
Majority | 914,468 | 29.5 | |||
Turnout | 3,106,556 | 50.77 | |||
Republican hold | Swing |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "State of Illinois official vote cast at the primary election held on ..." Illinois State Board of Elections. 1966. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "State of Illinois official vote cast at the general election ." Illinois State Board of Elections. 1978. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "Vote Totals List". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ "1994 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois". Uselectionatlas.org\accessdate=2015-04-04.