Illinois 2016 Election Results

Illinois held its general election on November 8, 2016, deciding 158 legislative seats and the office of Controller, including 1 special election. No chamber changed party control.

Highlights

• Republicans broke the House supermajority of Speaker Michael P. Madigan (D). At 67-51, Democrats could no longer override a veto from Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) on their own. The two sides were locked in a partisan stalemate that had left Illinois without a real budget.
• Rauner and his wife personally contributed $17.7 million from March to Election Day, mostly to help legislative candidates. Madigan blamed that money, "coupled with the Trump headwind in downstate Illinois." House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R) said that by "handily breaking the supermajority," voters had told Democrats it was time to join the governor.
• Republicans took five House seats from Democrats, four of them by beating incumbents, and lost one of their own, for a net gain of four:
  • Dave Severin (R) beat Rep. John E. Bradley (D), one of Madigan's top lieutenants, by about 6 points in House District 117.
  • Lindsay Parkhurst (R) beat Rep. Kate Cloonen (D) by about 7 points in House District 79, thought to be the most expensive legislative race in the state at $4.5 million.
  • Tony McCombie (R) beat Rep. Mike Smiddy (D) by about 26 points in House District 71.
  • Jerry Lee Long (R) edged Rep. Andy Skoog (D), who was appointed to the seat in 2015, by about 800 votes in House District 76.
  • Steve Reick (R) won the open House District 63 by about 13 points.
  • Going the other way, Katie Stuart (D) unseated Rep. Dwight D. Kay (R) by about 3 points in House District 112.
• In the Senate, Republicans gained two seats: Dale Fowler (R) unseated Sen. Gary Forby (D) by about 10 points in Senate District 59, and Jil Tracy (R) ran unopposed for the open Senate District 47 seat vacated by Sen. John Sullivan (D). Sen. Tom Cullerton (D) held Senate District 23 by about 1,200 votes over Seth Lewis (R). At 37-22, Senate Democrats kept their supermajority with a vote to spare.
• The comptroller's race was widely considered a proxy battle between Madigan and Rauner and became the state's most expensive race. Susana Mendoza (D) beat Leslie Munger (R), whom Rauner had appointed after the death of Judy Baar Topinka, by about 5 points.
• Voters approved the Transportation Lockbox Amendment, which requires that transportation taxes and fees be used exclusively for transportation purposes.

Legislature

• House (118 seats): 71 D, 47 R before the election, 67 D, 51 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
• Senate (59 seats): 39 D, 20 R before the election, 37 D, 22 R after; control stayed with Democrats.

Statewide races

Legislative races

Ballot measures