| Flag Image: | File:Flag of Cook County, Illinois (1961–2022).svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1986 Cook County, Illinois, elections |
| Previous Year: | 1986 |
| Next Election: | 1990 Cook County, Illinois, elections |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1988 |
| Turnout: | 72.56% |
The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 8, 1988.[1]
Primaries were held March 15, 1988.[2]
Elections were held for Clerk of the Circuit Court, Recorder of Deeds, State's Attorney, one seat on the Cook County Board of Appeals, three seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.
1988 was a presidential election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal races (President and House) and those for state elections.
Turnout in the primaries was 45.63%, with 1,236,750 ballots cast.[2] [3]
| Primary | Chicago vote totals | Suburban Cook County vote totals | Total Cook County vote totals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 742,281 | 244,812 | 987,093 | ||
| 83,625 | 161,042 | 244,667 | ||
| 127 | 77 | 204 | ||
| Nonpartisan | 733 | 6,053 | 6,786 | |
| Total | 826,766 | 411,984 | 1,236,750 |
The general election saw turnout of 72.56%, with 2,095,985 ballots cast.[4] Chicago saw 1,14,080 ballots cast, and suburban Cook County saw 981,905 ballots cast.[1]
Ballots had a straight-ticket voting option in 1988.[1]
| Party | Number of straight-ticket votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | style=text-align:center | 442,219 | |
| Republican | style=text-align:center | 276,923 | |
| Communist | style=text-align:center | 102 | |
| Illinois Solidarity | style=text-align:center | 508 | |
| John Davis Comm. Act. | style=text-align:center | 0 | |
| Independent Tax Reform | style=text-align:center | 974 | |
| Independent Progressive | style=text-align:center | 0 | |
| Libertarian | style=text-align:center | 1,531 | |
| Marie Goodlow Party | style=text-align:center | 348 |
| Election Name: | 1988 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1984 Cook County, Illinois elections#Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Previous Year: | 1984 |
| Next Election: | 1992 Cook County, Illinois elections#Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Next Year: | 1992 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1988 |
| Candidate1: | Aurelia Pucinski |
| Image1: | AureliaPucinski1967 (3x4a).png |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,170,558 |
| Percentage1: | 59.38% |
| Candidate2: | Edward R. Vrdolyak |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 800,783 |
| Percentage2: | 40.62% |
| Clerk | |
| Before Election: | Morgan M. Finley |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Aurelia Pucinski |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 68.25% |
In the 1988 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election, incumbent clerk Morgan M. Finley, a Democrat, did not seek reelection. Democrat Aurelia Pucinski was elected to succeed him.
| Candidate | Experience | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Byrne | Former mayor of Chicago (1979–1983) | |||
| Thomas S. Fuller | Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 1978 | [5] | ||
| Janice Hart | 1984 Democratic nominee for Illinois Secretary of State, supporter of the LaRouche movement | [6] | ||
| Aurelia Pucinski | Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 1984 | |||
No candidates ran in the Illinois Solidarity Party primary.[2]
| Election Name: | 1988 Cook County Recorder of Deeds election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1984 Cook County, Illinois elections#Recorder of Deeds |
| Previous Year: | 1984 |
| Next Election: | 1992 Cook County, Illinois elections#Recorder of Deeds |
| Next Year: | 1992 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1988 |
| Candidate1: | Carol Moseley Braun |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,020,805 |
| Percentage1: | 54.32% |
| Candidate2: | Bernard L. Stone |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 795,540 |
| Percentage2: | 42.33% |
| Recorder of Deeds | |
| Before Election: | Harry Yourell |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Carol Moseley Braun |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 65.06% |
In the 1988 Cook County Recorder of Deeds election, incumbent first-term recorder of deeds Harry Yourell, a Democrat, did not seek reelection, instead running to be a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Democrat Carol Moseley Braun was elected to succeed him.
Mosely Braun's election made her the first African-American to hold the office of Cook County recorder of deeds.[7]
| Candidate | Experience | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheila A. Jones | Perennial candidate | |||
| Carol Moseley Braun | Member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 1979 | |||
| Candidate | Experience | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maureen Murphy | Worth Township Clerk | ||
| Bernard Stone | Chicago alderman since 1973 |
No candidates ran in the Illinois Solidarity Party primary.[2] The party ultimately nominated Edward M. Wojkowski.[1]
| Election Name: | 1988 Cook County State's Attorney election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1984 Cook County, Illinois elections#State's Attorney |
| Previous Year: | 1984 |
| Next Election: | 1990 Cook County, Illinois elections#State's Attorney (special election) |
| Next Year: | 1990 (special) |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1988 |
| Candidate1: | Richard M. Daley |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,303,906 |
| Percentage1: | 66.70% |
| Candidate2: | Terrance W. Gainer |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 650,942 |
| Percentage2: | 33.30% |
| State's Attorney | |
| Before Election: | Richard M. Daley |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Richard M. Daley |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 67.68% |
In the 1988 Cook County State's Attorney election, incumbent second-term state's attorney Richard M. Daley, a Democrat, was reelected.
No candidates ran in the Illinois Solidarity Party primary.[2]
| Election Name: | 1988 Cook County Board of Appeals special election |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 1986 Cook County, Illinois elections#Cook County Board of Appeals |
| Previous Year: | 1986 |
| Next Election: | 1990 Cook County, Illinois elections#Cook County Board of Appeals |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1988 |
| Seats For Election: | 1 of 2 seats on the Cook County Board of Review |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 2Blank: | Races won |
| Seats Before1: | 2 |
| Seats After1: | 2 |
| 1Data1: | 1 |
| 2Data1: | 1 |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Seats Before2: | 0 |
| Seats After2: | 0 |
| 1Data2: | 0 |
| 2Data2: | 0 |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Turnout: | 65.27% |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Candidate1: | Joseph Berrios |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,170,558 |
| Percentage1: | 60.68% |
| Candidate2: | David R. Wiltise |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 714,736 |
| Percentage2: | 39.32% |
| Commissioner | |
| Before Election: | Thomas A. Jaconetty |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Joseph Berrios |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
In the 1988 Cook County Board of Appeals special election, one seat on the board were up for election. Due to the death of Harry Semrow, this special election was held to fill the seat he had served on.[8] Democrat Joseph Berrios was elected to fill the seat.
Thomas A. Jaconetty had been appointed to hold the seat until the new commissioner elected in this race would be seated.[8]
31st Ward committeeman Joseph Berrios, the Democratic Party organization-endorsed candidate, won the Democratic primary.[2] [8]
No candidates ran in the Illinois Solidarity Party primary.[2]
| Election Name: | 1988 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 1986 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election |
| Previous Year: | 1986 |
| Next Election: | 1990 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1988 |
| Seats For Election: | 3 of 9 seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago |
| Map Size: | 300px |
In the 1988 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, three of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election in an at-large election.[1] All three Democratic nominees won.[1]
Pasrtisan elections were held for judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County due to vacancies.[1] Retention elections were also held for the Circuit Court.[1]
Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect the Democratic, Republican, and Illinois Solidarity committeemen for the wards of Chicago.[2]