1986 United States Senate election in Illinois
Illinois state-wide election of a Senator to United States Senate
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 52.01% | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Township resultsDixon: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% <90% Koehler: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The 1986 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 4, 1986. The incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Alan J. Dixon won re-election to a second term. Until 2022, this was the most recent election in which an incumbent Senator won re-election to Illinois' Class 3 seat and was elected to more than one full term.
Primaries were held March 18, 1986.[1]
Election information
The primaries and general elections coincided with those for House, as well as those for state offices.[1][2]
Turnout
For the primaries, turnout was 21.84%, with 1,333,989 votes were cast.[1]
For the general election, turnout was 52.01%, with 3,122,833 votes cast.[2]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Alan J. Dixon, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Sheila Jones, perennial candidate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alan J. Dixon (incumbent) | 720,571 | 84.77 | |
| Democratic | Sheila Jones | 129,474 | 15.23 | |
| Write-in | Others | 4 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 850,049 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Judy Koehler, state representative
- George Ranney, executive at Inland Steel Company[3]
Withdrew
- Tom Corcoran, former congressman (1977–1985)[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Judy Koehler | 266,214 | 55.01 | |
| Republican | George Ranney | 217,720 | 44.99 | |
| Write-in | Others | 6 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 483,940 | 100 | ||
General election
Dixon easily won the senate race. Koehler fared poorly throughout most parts of the state, only winning 10 of the state's 102 counties.[2]
Koehler's campaign was regarded as underfinanced.[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alan J. Dixon (incumbent) | 2,033,783 | 65.13% | +9.12% | |
| Republican | Judy Koehler | 1,053,734 | 33.74% | -8.76% | |
| Illinois Solidarity | Einar V. Dyhrkopp | 15,804 | 0.51% | ||
| Libertarian | Donald M. Parrish, Jr. | 13,891 | 0.44% | -0.20% | |
| Socialist Workers | Omari Musa | 5,671 | 0.18% | +0.12% | |
| Total votes | 3,122,833 | 100 | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, MARCH 18, 1986" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 4, 1986" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 10, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Green, Paul M. "Party politics in Illinois: Republicans v. Democrats et al.", Illinois Issues, August & September 1986. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ^ Dold, R. Bruce (January 7, 1986). "Corcoran Drops Out of Senate Race". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ Green, Paul M. (June 1992). "Braun's dazzling win as downstate fails Dixon; Bush and Clinton pile up delegates". Illinois Issues. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
