1990 Illinois gubernatorial election
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| Turnout | 54.00%  1.63 pp | |||||||||||||||||||
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  Edgar: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Hartigan: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Illinois |
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The 1990 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990 to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Illinois. The incumbent Governor Jim Thompson chose to retire instead of seeking reelection to a fifth term. The Republican nominee, Secretary of State Jim Edgar, narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, Attorney General Neil Hartigan, by about 80,000 votes out of the over 3.2 million cast (a margin of 2.58%).
This was the first open-seat gubernatorial election in Illinois since 1952, which was 38 years previously. A competitive race, it had the narrowest margin of victory for a statewide election in Illinois that cycle and was among one of the closest gubernatorial races in the nation that year. At the time, it was the costliest campaign in state history.[1]
Background
The primaries and general elections coincided with those for federal elections (Senate and House), as well as those for other state offices. The election was part of the 1990 Illinois elections.
For the primaries, turnout for the gubernatorial primaries was 26.11%, with 1,570,596 votes cast and turnout for the lieutenant gubernatorial primaries was 21.67% with 1,303,250 votes cast.[2] For the general election, turnout was 54.00%, with 3,257,410 votes cast.[3]
Democratic primary
Illinois Attorney General Neil Hartigan won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, running unopposed.
Governor
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Neil F. Hartigan | 802,901 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 802,901 | 100 | ||
Lieutenant governor
James B. Burns, future attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, won the Democratic nomination, running unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James B. Burns | 719,091 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 719,091 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Governor
Illinois Secretary of State Jim Edgar defeated investor and conservative political activist Steve Baer, as well as perennial candidate Robert Marshall.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Edgar | 482,441 | 62.84 | |
| Republican | Steve Baer | 256,889 | 33.46 | |
| Republican | Robert Marshall | 28,365 | 3.69 | |
| Total votes | 767,695 | 100 | ||
Lieutenant governor
Illinois State Senator Bob Kustra won the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Kustra | 584,121 | 100 | |
| Republican | Henry Gillman | 38 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 584,159 | 100 | ||
Solidarity primary
Only 13 votes were cast in the primary, all write in votes for Jeff W. Smith. The party, nevertheless, ultimately nominated Jessie Fields.
Governor
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write-in | Jeff W. Smith | 13 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 13 | 100 | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Edgar | 1,653,126 | 50.75 | −1.92 | |
| Democratic | Neil Hartigan | 1,569,217 | 48.17 | +41.53 | |
| Illinois Solidarity | Jessie Fields | 35,067 | 1.08 | −38.89 | |
| Majority | 83,909 | 2.58 | −10.12 | ||
| Turnout | 3,257,410 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ^ Tribune, Chicago (February 1, 1991). "EDGAR-HARTIGAN CLASH COST NEARLY $20 MILLION". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "State of Illinois official vote cast at the primary election held on ..." Illinois State Board of Elections. 1966. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "State of Illinois official vote cast at the general election ." Illinois State Board of Elections. 1978. Retrieved April 8, 2020.