1990 Illinois elections
← 1988 November 6, 1990 1992 →
Turnout56.71%
Elections in Illinois
Federal government
U.S. Presidential elections
U.S. Senate elections
U.S. House elections
State government
General elections
Gubernatorial elections
Lieutenant Gubernatorial elections
Attorney General elections
Secretary of State elections
Comptroller elections
Senate elections
House of Representatives elections
Judicial elections
Ballot measures and referendums
Chicago
General elections
Mayoral elections
Aldermanic elections
Chicago Board of Education elections
Cicero
Municipal elections
Cook County
County elections

Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 6, 1990. Primaries were held on March 20, 1990.[1]

All statewide offices saw their incumbents forgo seeking reelection. However, no statewide office saw a change in party composition, with Republicans retaining the governorship and lieutenant governorship in their joint election, as well as the office of Secretary of State, and Democrats retaining the offices of Attorney General, Comptroller, and Treasurer.[2]

Democrats retained their control of both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly.[3]

Election information

1990 was a midterm election year in the United States.

Turnout

For the primaries, turnout was 32.62%, with 1,962,284 ballots cast (with 1,123,972 Democratic ballots, 805,381 Republican ballots, 525 Illinois Solidarity, 21 Independent Progressive, and 32,385 nonpartisan ballots cast).[1]

For the general election, turnout was 56.71%, with 3,420,720 ballots cast.[4]

Straight-ticket voting

Illinois had a straight-ticket voting option in 1990.[4]

Party Number of
straight-ticket
votes[4]
Democratic 498,918
Republican 360,273
Illinois Solidarity 2,108
Independent Progressive 7
Jim Wham 394
Libertarian 3,005

Federal elections

United States Senate

Main article: 1990 United States Senate election in Illinois

See also: 1990 United States Senate elections

Incumbent Democrat Paul Simon was reelected to a second term.

United States House

Main article: 1990 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

See also: 1990 United States House of Representatives elections

All 22 of Illinois' seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1990.

The Democratic Party flipped one Republican-held seat, making the composition of Illinois' House delegation 15 Democrats and 7 Republicans.

State elections

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Main article: 1990 Illinois gubernatorial election
1990 Illinois gubernatorial election
← 1986 November 6, 1990 1994 →
Turnout54.00%
 
Nominee Jim Edgar Neil Hartigan
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Bob Kustra James B. Burns
Popular vote 1,653,126 1,569,217
Percentage 50.8% 48.2%
County Results

Edgar:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

Hartigan:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Governor before election

James R. Thompson
Republican

Elected Governor

Jim Edgar
Republican

Incumbent Governor James R. Thompson did not seek reelection to a fifth term. Republican Jim Edgar was elected to succeed him in office, defeating Democrat Neil Hartigan by a narrow margin of about 80,000 votes.

Gubernatorial election[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Edgar / Bob Kustra 1,653,126 50.75
Democratic Neil Hartigan / James B. Burns 1,569,217 48.17
Illinois Solidarity Jessie Fields 35,067 1.08
Total votes 3,257,410

Attorney General

1990 Illinois Attorney General election
← 1986 November 6, 1990 1994 →
Turnout53.33%[4]
 
Nominee Roland Burris Jim Ryan
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,656,045 1,560,831
Percentage 51.48% 48.52%
Attorney General before election

Neil Hartigan
Democratic

Elected Attorney General

Roland Burris
Democratic

Incumbent Attorney General Neil Hartigan, a Democrat, did not run for a third term, instead opting to run for governor. Democrat Roland Burris was elected to succeed him in office.

Democratic primary

Illinois Comptroller Roland Burris won the Democratic primary, running unopposed.

Attorney General Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Roland Burris 801,279 100
Total votes 801,279 100

Republican primary

Attorney General Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Ryan 645,000 100
Total votes 645,000 100

General election

Attorney General election[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Roland Burris 1,656,045 51.48
Republican Jim Ryan 1,560,831 48.52
Total votes 3,216,876 100

Secretary of State

1990 Illinois Secretary of State election
← 1986 November 6, 1990 1994 →
Turnout52.16%[4]
 
Nominee George Ryan Jerome Cosentino
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,680,531 1,465,785
Percentage 53.41% 46.59%
Secretary of State before election

Jim Edgar
Republican

Elected Secretary of State

George Ryan
Republican

Incumbent Secretary of State Jim Edgar, a Republican first appointed in 1981 and subsequently reelected to two full terms, did not seek reelection to another term, instead opting to run for governor. Republican George Ryan was elected to succeed him in office.

Democratic primary

Illinois Treasurer Jerome Cosentino won the Democratic primary, running unopposed.

Secretary of State Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jerry Cosentino 769,279 100
Total votes 769,279 100

Republican primary

Lieutenant Governor of Illinois George Ryan won the Republican primary, running unopposed.

Secretary of State Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican George H. Ryan 639,808 100
Total votes 639,808 100

General election

Secretary of State election[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican George H. Ryan 1,680,531 53.41
Democratic Jerome Cosentino 1,465,785 46.59
Total votes 3,146,316 100

Comptroller

1990 Illinois State Comptroller election
← 1986 November 6, 1990 1994 →
Turnout52.01%[4]
 
Nominee Dawn Clark Netsch Sue Suter
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,696,414 1,440,747
Percentage 54.07% 45.93%
State Comptroller before election

Roland Burris
Democratic

Elected State Comptroller

Dawn Clark Netsch
Democratic

Incumbent Comptroller Roland Burris, a Democrat, did not seek reelection to a fourth term, instead opting to run for Attorney General. Democrat Dawn Clark Netsch was elected to succeed him in office.

Democratic primary

State Senator Dawn Clark Netsch defeated attorney Shawn Collins, State Representative Woody Bowman, and Kane County Democratic Party Chairman Bill Sarto.[1][6]

Secretary of State Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dawn Clark Netsch 401,928 47.73
Democratic Shawn Collins 230,889 27.42
Democratic Woody Bowman 135,321 16.07
Democratic Bill Sarto 73,993 8.79
Total votes 842,131 100

Republican primary

Republican Sue Suter, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Aid[7] who previously from 1984 until 1988 had been head of the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services, won the Republican primary unopposed.[1][8] This was Suter's first attempt at elected office.[8]

Secretary of State Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sue Suter 600,830 100
Total votes 600,830 100

General election

Comptroller election[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dawn Clark Netsch 1,696,414 54.07
Republican Sue Suter 1,440,747 45.93
Total votes 3,137,161 100

Treasurer

1990 Illinois State Treasurer election
← 1986 November 6, 1990 1994 →
Turnout51.81%[4]
 
Nominee Pat Quinn Greg Baise
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,740,742 1,384,492
Percentage 55.70% 44.30%
Treasurer before election

Jerome Cosentino
Democratic

Elected Treasurer

Pat Quinn
Democratic

Incumbent Treasurer Jerome Cosentino, a Democrat, did not run for what would have been a third overall (second consecutive) term, instead opting to run for Secretary of State. Democrat Pat Quinn was elected to succeed him in office.

Democratic primary

Former Cook County Board of Tax Appeals commissioner and Chicago Revenue Director Pat Quinn defeated State Representative Peg McDonnell Breslin. Quinn previously had been an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in 1986.

Breslin had been the candidate endorsed by the Democratic Party organization.[9]

Treasurer Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Patrick Quinn 449,442 51.12
Democratic Peg McDonnell Breslin 429,810 48.88
Total votes 879,252 100

Republican primary

Former Illinois Secretary of Transportation Greg Baise won the Republican primary unopposed.[1][10]

Treasurer Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Baise 594,238 100
Total votes 594,238 100

General election

Baise campaigned on a message of conservatism.[11] Quinn campaigned as a populist reformer in opposition to big government.[11]

During the general election campaign, Quinn won the endorsement of the AFL–CIO.[2]

Treasurer election[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Patrick Quinn 1,740,742 55.70
Republican Greg Baise 1,384,492 44.30
Write-in Paul Salander 55 0.00
Total votes 3,125,289 100

State Senate

Some of the seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1990. Democrats retained control of the chamber.[3]

State House of Representatives

All of the seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1990. Democrats retained control of the chamber.[3]

Trustees of University of Illinois

1990 Trustees of University of Illinois election
← 1988 November 6, 1990 1992 →

An election was held for three of nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois system for six-year terms.

The election saw the reelection of incumbent Democrat Gloria Jackson Bacon to a second term and incumbent Republican Susan Loving Gravenhorst to a third term, as well as the election of new trustee Democrat Thomas R. Lamont.[12]

Fourth-term incumbent Republican Ralph Crane Hahn lost reelection.[12]

Trustees of the University of Illinois election[4][12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Jackson Bacon (incumbent) 1,597,215 19.00
Republican Susan Loving Gravenhorst (incumbent) 1,416,930 16.86
Democratic Tom Lamont 1,412,371 16.80
Republican Ralph Crane Hahn (incumbent) 1,330,902 15.84
Democratic Joe Luco 1,311,182 15.60
Republican John G. Huftalin 1,110,264 13.21
Illinois Solidarity Martin C. Ortega 226,103 2.69
Total votes 8,404,967 100

Judicial elections

Multiple judicial positions were up for election in 1990.

Ballot measure

Illinois voters voted on a single ballot measure in 1990.[13] In order to be approved, the measure required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the amendment or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.[13]

Redemption Periods for Property Sold for Non-Payment of Taxes Amendment

Voters approved the Redemption Periods for Property Sold for Non-Payment of Taxes Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which amended Article IX, Section 8 of the Constitution of Illinois to reduce the redemption period on the tax sale of certain delinquent properties.[13][14]

Redemption Periods for
Property Sold for Non-Payment of Taxes Amendment [13][14]
Option Votes % of votes
on measure 		% of all ballots
cast
Yes 1,004,546 72.25 29.37
No 385,772 27.75 11.28
Total votes 1,390,318 100 40.64
Voter turnout 23.05%

Local elections

Local elections were held. These included county elections, such as the Cook County elections.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "State of Illinois official vote cast at the primary election held on ..." Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Kenney, David; Brown, Barbara L. (1993). Basic Illinois Government: A Systematic Explanation. SIU Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-8093-1822-3.
  3. ^ a b c "Party control of Illinois state government". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "State of Illinois official vote cast at the general election ." Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  5. ^ "1990 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Illinois". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Hardy, Thomas (January 18, 1990). "DAN WALKER COMES BACK TO HAUNT A COMPTROLLER CANDIDATE". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  7. ^ Reardon, Patrick (January 16, 1989). "NEW STATE PUBLIC AID DIRECTOR SAYS SHE'S AN ADVOCATE FOR CLIENTS". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Illinois candidates' profiles. State comptroller". nwitimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. October 21, 1990. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Watson, Angie (April 1990). "Quinn prevails; incumbents upset". Illinois Issues (9). Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "An Interview with Gregory Baise Part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Illinois Statecraft Oral History project" (PDF). Government of Illinois. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Guy, Sandra (October 14, 1990). "Illinois election 1990. Candidate profiles. Illinois state". nwitimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana.
  12. ^ a b c "Trustees, University of Illinois Board of Trustees" (PDF). University of Illinois. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d "Illinois Constitution - Amendments Proposed". www.ilga.gov. Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Illinois Redemption Periods for Property Sold for Non-Payment of Taxes, Amendment 1 (1990)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
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