1994 Illinois gubernatorial election

{{Infobox 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 = Secretary of State Jim Edgar (cropped).jpg

| image_size = 150x150px

| nominee1 = Jim Edgar

| running_mate1 = Bob Kustra

| party1 = Republican Party (United States)

| popular_vote1 = 1,984,318

| percentage1 = 63.87%

| image2 = Dawn Clark Nesch Illinois blue book, 1987-1988 (3x4).jpg

| nominee2 = Dawn Clark Netsch

| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)

| running_mate2 = Penny Severns

| popular_vote2 = 1,069,850

| percentage2 = 34.44%

| map_image = 1994 Illinois gubernatorial election results map by county.svg

| map_size = x300px

| map_caption = County results
Edgar: {{legend0|#e27f7f|50-60%}} {{legend0|#d75d5d|60-70%}} {{legend0|#d72f30|70-80%}} {{legend0|#c21b18|80-90%}}
Netsch: {{legend0|#a5b0ff|40–50%}}

| title = Governor

| before_election = Jim Edgar

| before_party = Republican Party (United States)

| after_election = Jim Edgar

| after_party = Republican Party (United States)

| turnout = 50.77% {{decrease}} 3.23 pp

}}

The 1994 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Edgar won reelection in the largest landslide in well over a century, after the elections of 1818 and 1848.

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 gubernatorial candidate received over 60% of the vote. Clark Netsch's 34% of the vote was the worst performance for a Democratic nominee since in almost a century.

Background

The 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".

For 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.{{cite web |title=State of Illinois official vote cast at the primary election held on ... |url=https://archive.org/details/stateofillinoimar1994illi/mode/2up |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |access-date=7 April 2020 |date=1966}} For the general election, turnout was 50.77%, with 3,106,556 votes cast.{{cite web |title=State of Illinois official vote cast at the general election .. |url=https://archive.org/details/stateofillinoiso1994illi/mode/2up |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |access-date=7 April 2020 |date=1978}}

Democratic primaries

=Governor=

==Candidates==

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==

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Democratic gubernatorial primary results

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Dawn Clark Netsch

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 487,364

| percentage = 44.35

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Roland W. Burris

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 401,142

| percentage = 36.50

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Richard Phelan

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 160,576

| percentage = 14.61

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = James Elroy Gierach

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 26,752

| percentage = 2.43

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Sheila A. Jones

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 23,191

| percentage = 2.11

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 1,099,025

| percentage = 100.00

}}

=Lieutenant governor=

==Candidates==

Anthony P. Harper
Penny Severns, Illinois State Senator
Sheila Smith

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary results

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Penny Severns

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 406,510

| percentage = 45.75

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Sheila Smith

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 366,760

| percentage = 41.27

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Anthony P. Harper

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 115,347

| percentage = 12.98

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 888,617

| percentage = 100

}}

Republican primaries

=Governor=

==Candidates==

Jim Edgar, incumbent governor
Jack Roeser, businessman

==Results==

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Republican gubernatorial primary results

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Jim Edgar (incumbent)

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 521,590

| percentage = 75.01

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Jack Roeser

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 173,742

| percentage = 23.89

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 695,332

| percentage = 100.00

}}

=Lieutenant governor=

==Candidates==

Bob Kustra, incumbent lieutenant governor

==Results==

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary results

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Bob Kustra (incumbent)

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 553,543

| percentage = 100

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 553,543

| percentage = 100

}}

General election

=Polling=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

style="background:lightgrey;"

! style="width:150px;"| Source

! style="width:130px;"| Date

! style="width:100px;"| Jim
Edgar (R)

! style="width:100px;"| Dawn Clark
Netsch (D)

align=left | Chicago Tribune

| October 30, 1994

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 60%

| 25%

align=left | Chicago Tribune

| October 23, 1994

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 61%

| 22%

=Results=

{{Election box begin | title=1994 gubernatorial election, Illinois{{cite web|title= Vote Totals List |url=http://www.elections.il.gov/electioninformation/VoteTotalsList.aspx?officeid=3780 |access-date=July 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718073218/http://www.elections.il.gov/electioninformation/VoteTotalsList.aspx?officeid=3780 |archive-date=July 18, 2011 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1994&fips=17&f=0&off=5&elect=0&minper=0|title=1994 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois|publisher=Uselectionatlas.org\accessdate=2015-04-04}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Edgar (incumbent)

|votes = 1,984,318

|percentage = 63.9

|change = +13.1

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Dawn Clark Netsch|votes=1,069,850|percentage=34.4|change=-13.8}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Libertarian Party (United States)|candidate=David L. Kelley|votes=52,388|percentage=1.69|change=+1.69}}

{{Election box candidate with party link||party=N/A|candidate=write-ins|votes=10|percentage=0.0|change=n-a}}

{{Election box turnout||votes=3,106,556|percentage=50.77 |change=}}

{{Election box hold with party link|

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

|swing =

}}

References

1994

Illinois

Gubernatorial