| Election Name: | 1994 Illinois elections |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1992 Illinois elections |
| Previous Year: | 1992 |
| Next Election: | 1996 Illinois elections |
| Next Year: | 1996 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1994 |
| Turnout: | 52.61% |
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 8, 1994. Primaries were held on March 15, 1994.
These elections saw the Republican Party make significant gains, and conversely saw the Democratic Party see significant losses. The Republican Party captured the State House and retained control of the State Senate and, winning them a trifecta of state government control. The Republican Party additionally won all statewide executive offices, retaining the governorship and office of lieutenant governor in their combined election, retaining the office of Secretary of State, while also flipping the offices of Attorney General, Comptroller, and Treasurer. The Republican Party also gained two more of Illinois' U.S. congressional seats.
The result of the election marked the first time since the 1950s that all executive offices and control of the Illinois General Assembly were held by a single party (the previous time had also seen the Republican Party reach this feat).
1994 was a midterm election year in the United States.
The 1994 midterm elections saw a strong national showing by the Republican Party, which was dubbed the Republican Revolution.
For the primaries, turnout was 31.91%, with 1,963,606 ballots cast (with 1,186,888 Democratic ballots, 729,372 Republican ballots, 674 Harold Washington, and 46,619 nonpartisan ballots cast).[1]
For the general election, turnout was 52.61%, with 3,219,122 ballots cast.[2]
Illinois had a straight-ticket voting option in 1994.[2]
| Party | Number of straight-ticket votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | style=text-align:center | 407,858 | |
| Republican | style=text-align:center | 587,670 | |
| Libertarian | style=text-align:center | 2,343 | |
| United Independents Party | style=text-align:center | 654 |
See also: 1994 United States House of Representatives elections.
All Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1994.
The Republican Party flipped two seats from the Democratic Party. Among the two Democrats unseated by Republicans was Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, who had been in congress since 1959.[3] This left the party composition of Illinois' House delegation 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans.
See main article: 1994 Illinois gubernatorial election.
| Election Name: | 1994 Illinois gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1990 Illinois gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1990 |
| Next Election: | 1998 Illinois gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1994 |
| Image1: | File:Jim Edgar (Illinois Blue Book Portrait 1993-1994).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Jim Edgar |
| Running Mate1: | Bob Kustra |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,984,318 |
| Percentage1: | 63.9% |
| Nominee2: | Dawn Clark Netsch |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Running Mate2: | Penny Severns |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,069,850 |
| Percentage2: | 34.4% |
| Map Size: | x300px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Jim Edgar |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Jim Edgar |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 50.77% |
Incumbent Governor Jim Edgar, a Republican, won reelection in the greatest landslide in Illinois history, excepting the election of 1818. Edgar carried 101 of the state's 102 counties over the Democratic nominee, State Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch, with Netsch only winning Gallatin County. To date, this is the most recent statewide election in which Cook County voted for the Republican candidate.
| Election Name: | 1994 Illinois Attorney General election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1990 Illinois Attorney General election |
| Previous Year: | 1990 |
| Next Election: | 1998 Illinois Attorney General election |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1994 |
| Nominee1: | Jim Ryan |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,651,976 |
| Percentage1: | 53.63% |
| Nominee2: | Al Hofeld |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,371,295 |
| Percentage2: | 44.52% |
| Attorney General | |
| Before Election: | Roland Burris |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Jim Ryan |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 50.34% |
Incumbent Attorney General Roland Burris, a Democrat, did not run for a second term, instead opting (ultimately unsuccessfully) to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. Republican Jim Ryan was elected to succeed him in office.
Attorney and 1992 U.S. Senate candidate Al Hofeld won the Democratic primary, defeating former Chicago alderman Martin J. Oberman.[1] [4]
DuPage County state's attorney Jim Ryan won the Republican primary, defeating Metra Chairman Jeffrey Ladd and attorney Themis Anagost.[4] [5] Ryan had been the unsuccessful Republican nominee for attorney general in 1990.[5]
| Election Name: | 1994 Illinois Secretary of State election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1990 Illinois elections#Secretary of State |
| Previous Year: | 1990 |
| Next Election: | 1998 Illinois elections#Secretary of State |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1994 |
| Image1: | File:George Ryan, 1989(crop).jpg |
| Nominee1: | George Ryan |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,868,144 |
| Percentage1: | 60.48% |
| Nominee2: | Pat Quinn |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,182,629 |
| Percentage2: | 38.29% |
| Secretary of State | |
| Before Election: | George Ryan |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | George Ryan |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 50.48% |
Incumbent Secretary of State George Ryan was reelected to a second term., this was the last time a Republican was elected Illinois Secretary of State.
Treasurer of Illinois Pat Quinn won the Democratic primary, defeating Illinois State Senator Denny Jacobs and Larouche movement member Rose-Marie Love.[6] [7]
Originally, Kane County Coroner Mary Lou Kearns had also declared herself a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State, but she subsequently decided to instead run for Comptroller.
Incumbent George Ryan ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
| Election Name: | 1994 Illinois State Comptroller election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1990 Illinois elections #Comptroller |
| Previous Year: | 1990 |
| Next Election: | 1998 Illinois elections #Comptroller |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1994 |
| Nominee1: | Loleta Didrickson |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,615,122 |
| Percentage1: | 55.00% |
| Nominee2: | Earlean Collins |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,208,128 |
| Percentage2: | 41.14% |
| State Comptroller | |
| Before Election: | Dawn Clark Netsch |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Loleta Didrickson |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 47.99% |
Incumbent Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch, a Democrat, did not seek reelection to a second term, instead opting to run for governor. Republican Loleta Didrickson was elected to succeed her in office.
Illinois State Senator Earlean Collins defeated Kane County Coroner/Kane County Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Lou Kearns, Lyons Township Assessor Edward J. Schumann, and Larouche movement member Mark Bender.[6] [8] [9]
| Election Name: | 1994 Illinois State Treasurer election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1990 Illinois elections#Treasurer |
| Previous Year: | 1990 |
| Next Election: | 1998 Illinois elections#Treasurer |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1994 |
| Image1: | File:Judy Baar Topinka (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Judy Baar Topinka |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,504,335 |
| Percentage1: | 50.40% |
| Nominee2: | Nancy Drew Sheehan |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,427,317 |
| Percentage2: | 47.82% |
| Treasurer | |
| Before Election: | Pat Quinn |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Judy Baar Topinka |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 48.78% |
Incumbent Treasurer Pat Quinn, a Democrat, did not run for a second term, instead opting to run for Secretary of State. Republican Judy Baar Topinka was elected to succeed him in office.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board member Nancy Drew Sheehan defeated Thomas J. Beaudette in the Democratic primary.[1] [10]
Illinois State Senator Judy Baar Topinka won the Republican primary, running unopposed.
Some of the seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1994. Republicans retained control of the Illinois Senate, which they had captured a majority in during the preceding 1992 elections.[11]
All of the seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1994. Republicans flipped control of the Illinois House of Representatives.[11]
| Election Name: | 1994 Trustees of the University of Illinois election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1992 University of Illinois trustees election |
| Previous Year: | 1992 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1994 |
An election was held for three of nine seats for Trustees of the University of Illinois system for six-year terms.
This was the last election for Trustees of University of Illinois, as this would subsequently become an appointed office.
The election saw the reelection of incumbent Republican Judith Reese to a second term, as well as the election of new trustees Republican Bill Engelbrecht and Democrat Martha R. O'Malley.[12]
First-term incumbent Democrat Ken Boyle lost reelection.[2] [12] First-term incumbent Republican Donald W. Grabowski was not nominated for reelection.[2] [12]
Multiple judicial positions were up for election in 1994.[2]
Illinois voters voted on a two ballot measures in 1994,[13] both of them legislatively referred constitutional amendment In order to be approved, the measures required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the amendment or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.[13]
Voters approved the Illinois Criminal Defendants' Right to Meet Witnesses Amendment (also known as "Amendment 1"), a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which amended Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution of Illinois, which allowed criminal defendants be given the right to be confronted by witnesses.[13] [14]
| Illinois Criminal Defendants' Right to Meet Witnesses Amendment | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option | Votes | % of votes on measure | % of all ballots cast | ||||
| text align=center | Yes | text align=center | 1,525,525 | text align=center | 62.73 | text align=center | 47.39 |
| text align=center | No | text align=center | 906,383 | text align=center | 37.27 | text align=center | 28.16 |
| text align=center | Total votes | text align=center | 2,431,908 | text align=center | 100 | text align=center | 75.55 |
| Voter turnout | colspan=3 text align=right | 39.74% |
Voters approved Illinois Legislative Session Length (also known as "Amendment 2"), a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which amended Article IV, Section 10 of the Constitution of Illinois to change the legislative adjournment date from June 20 to May 3.[13] [15] [16]
| Illinois Legislative Session Length Amendment | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option | Votes | % of votes on measure | % of all ballots cast | ||||
| text align=center | Yes | text align=center | 1,476,615 | text align=center | 68.87 | text align=center | 45.87 |
| text align=center | No | text align=center | 667,585 | text align=center | 31.14 | text align=center | 20.74 |
| text align=center | Total votes | text align=center | 2,144,200 | text align=center | 100 | text align=center | 66.61 |
| Voter turnout | colspan=3 text align=right | 35.04% |
Local elections were held. These included county elections, such as the Cook County elections.