The 1996 United States Senate election in Illinois took place on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Simon chose to retire rather than seek a third term in office. In the Democratic primary, U.S. Representative Dick Durbin emerged victorious, while state representative Al Salvi won the Republican primary. Though the election was initially anticipated to be close, Durbin ended up defeating Salvi by a comfortable double-digit margin of victory, allowing him to win what would be the first of several terms in the Senate.
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| Turnout | 63.79% | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Durbin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Salvi: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
editThe primaries and general elections coincided with those for other federal offices (president and House), as well as those for state offices.
For the primaries, turnout was 25.85%, with 1,583,406 votes cast.[1] For the general election, turnout was 63.79%, with 4,250,722 votes cast.[2]
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Jalil Ahmad, real estate agent
- Dick Durbin, incumbent U.S. Representative from Illinois's 20th congressional district
- Ronald F. Gibbs, advisor to former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington
- Paul H. D. Park, member of Chicago's Economic Development Commission[3]
- Pat Quinn, former Illinois State Treasurer
Declined
edit- Neil Hartigan, former Illinois Attorney General (1983–1991), former Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (1973–1977), and Democratic nominee for Governor in 1990[4][5]
- William M. Daley, attorney, political consultant, and member of the Daley family (endorsed Hartigan)[6]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dick Durbin | 512,520 | 64.87% | |
| Democratic | Pat Quinn | 233,138 | 29.51% | |
| Democratic | Ronald F. Gibbs | 17,681 | 2.24% | |
| Democratic | Jalil Ahmad | 17,211 | 2.18% | |
| Democratic | Paul H. D. Park | 9,505 | 1.20% | |
| Total votes | 790,055 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Al Salvi, incumbent State Representative
- Martin Paul Gallagher
- Wayne S. Kurzeja
- Bob Kustra, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
- Robert Marshall, perennial candidate
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Al Salvi | 377,141 | 47.64% | |
| Republican | Bob Kustra | 342,935 | 43.32% | |
| Republican | Robert Marshall | 43,937 | 5.55% | |
| Republican | Martin Paul Gallagher | 17,276 | 2.18% | |
| Republican | Wayne S. Kurzeja | 10,356 | 1.31% | |
| Total votes | 791,645 | 100 | ||
Libertarian primary
editCandidates
edit- David F. Hoscheidt, attorney from Bloomington[3]
- Robin J. Miller, businessman from East Peoria, Illinois[3]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Robin J. Miller | 1,258 | 73.74 | |
| Libertarian | David F. Hoscheidt | 448 | 26.26 | |
| Total votes | 1,706 | 100 | ||
General election
editResults
editDurbin won the election easily.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dick Durbin | 2,384,028 | 56.09% | −8.98% | |
| Republican | Al Salvi | 1,728,824 | 40.67% | +5.74% | |
| Reform | Steven H. Perry | 61,023 | 1.44% | ||
| Libertarian | Robin J. Miller | 41,218 | 0.97% | ||
| Constitution | Chad N. Koppie | 17,563 | 0.40% | ||
| Natural Law | James E. Davis | 13,838 | 0.33% | ||
| Write-ins | 4,228 | 0.10% | |||
| Majority | 655,204 | 15.41% | −14.72% | ||
| Turnout | 4,250,722 | 63.79 | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "State of Illinois official vote cast at the primary election held on ..." Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ a b "State of Illinois official vote cast at the general election ." Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c Man, Anthony (March 1996). "Replacing Our Favorite Son". Illinois Issues. 22 (3). University of Illinois at Springfield: 27. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ Tribune, Chicago (May 18, 1995). "HARTIGAN MOVES EVER CLOSER TO RUN FOR SIMON'S SEAT". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Berke, Richard L. (June 11, 1995). "THE NATION; Democrats Find Out Things Can Get Worse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ "DEMS PUSH HARTIGAN TO RUN FOR SENATE". Crain's Chicago Business. March 25, 1995.
- ^ a b "Federal Elections 96: 1996 U.S. Senate Results by State". Fec.gov. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved April 4, 2015.