Illinois gubernatorial election, 2010
Encyclopedia
An election for Governor of Illinois was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Governor Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn (politician)
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...

, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, sought and was elected to a full term. Quinn was elected as the Democratic nominee, the Green Party nominee was Rich Whitney
Rich Whitney
Rich Whitney is an Illinois politician and civil rights attorney who was the Illinois Green Party's nominee for Governor of Illinois in the elections of 2006 and 2010. During the 2006 campaign Whitney received endorsements from several newspapers, including the Rockford Register Star, Southwest...

, the Republican nominee was State Senator
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...

 Bill Brady, the Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...

 nominee was Lex Green
Lex Green
This article directs to Lex Green from Illinois, for Florida Representative Robert Alexis Green, see Robert A. GreenLex Green is an Illinois politician and electrician who is the Illinois Libertarian Party's nominee for Governor of Illinois in the 2010 Election. His running mate for Lt...

, and Scott Lee Cohen
Scott Lee Cohen
Scott Lee Cohen is an American politician and businessman who won the Democratic Party's 2010 nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, then withdrew under pressure shortly after the primary following revelations about his personal life and questions about his background...

 ran as an independent. Governor Quinn won election to a full term in a very close race, beating Senator Brady by only about 32,000 votes, despite Brady winning in over 90% of Illinois counties.

Prior to the general election, the primary election in February, 2010, featured extremely close races between candidates for the two largest parties' nominations. Quinn warded off a challenge by Comptroller Dan Hynes by a margin of about 8,300 votes, while Brady won the Republican nomination on the strength of less than a 200-vote margin in a fractured 7-way race.

It's the first time since 1852 that Democrats won three consecutive Illinois gubernatorial elections
Illinois gubernatorial elections
-2010:-2009:-1998:-1994:-1822:-1818:...

.

Candidates

  • Pat Quinn
    Pat Quinn (politician)
    Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...

    , incumbent Governor of Illinois
    Governor of Illinois
    The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....

  • Daniel Hynes
    Daniel Hynes
    Daniel W. Hynes is an American politician, formerly the Illinois Comptroller.-Background:Hynes was born in Chicago. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, where he graduated in 1986. Hynes later attended the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1990 with a...

    , Illinois State Comptroller
    Illinois State Comptroller
    The Comptroller of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. He or she is responsible for maintaining the State's accounts, and for ordering payments into and out of them...

    , 2004 Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate

Debates

Democratic candidates Quinn and Hynes debated on January 19. WSIU Public Broadcasting (WSIU
WSIU (FM)
WSIU is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk/information format. Licensed to Carbondale, Illinois, the station serves Southern Illinois...

 (FM)/WSIU-TV
WSIU-TV
WSIU-TV digital channel 8 is a PBS member station based and located in Carbondale, Illinois, at Southern Illinois University. Programming can also be seen on WUSI-TV digital channel 19 in Olney, Illinois, a translator. Both stations serve the extreme southern part of Illinois and portions of...

) at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...

 and Illinois Public Media (WILL
WILL
WILL is the callsign of the three public broadcasting stations owned by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and directly operated by its Division of Broadcasting...

 AM/FM/TV) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

 also co-sponsored two gubernatorial primary election debates. Pat Quinn and Dan Hynes debated on January 21, 2010.

Polling

Poll source Dates administered Pat Quinn Lisa Madigan Dan Hynes Undecided
Public Policy Polling January 26, 2010 40% 41% 19%
Chicago Tribune January 16–20, 2010 44% 40% 15%
Chicago Tribune December 2–8, 2009 49% 23% 23%
Simon Public Policy October 16, 2009 33.9% 16.5% 35.4%
Public Policy Polling April 24–26, 2009 29% 45% 26%

Results

Candidates

  • Bill Brady
    Bill Brady (politician)
    William E. "Bill" Brady, Jr. is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 44th Legislative District since his appointment in May 2002. He previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 88th District from 1993 to 2000.-Early life, education and...

    , Illinois State Senator, 2006
    Illinois gubernatorial election, 2006
    The Illinois gubernatorial election of 2006 occurred on November 7, 2006. The Governor of Illinois, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, won re-election for a four-year term scheduled to have ended on January 10, 2011. However, Blagojevich was impeached in 2009...

     Republican candidate for Governor
  • Kirk Dillard, Illinois State Senator
  • Andy McKenna
    Andrew McKenna
    Andrew McKenna Jr is the immediate past chairman for the Illinois Republican Party. McKenna became the chairman in 2005, and stepped down in August 2009. He was succeeded by Pat Brady. He was preceded by Judy Baar Topinka....

    , businessman, former Chairman of the Republican Party of Illinois, 2004
    United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004
    The 2004 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald decided to retire after one term. The Democratic and Republican primary elections were held in March, which included a total of 15 candidates who combined to spend a...

     Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate
  • Jim Ryan
    Jim Ryan (politician)
    James E. Ryan is an American politician who served two four-year terms as Illinois Attorney General. A career Republican, he received his party's nomination and ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Illinois against Rod Blagojevich in 2002. He has been a professor at Benedictine University since 2003...

    , former Attorney General of Illinois, 2002
    Illinois gubernatorial election, 2002
    The 2002 Illinois gubernatorial election pitted Congressman Rod Blagojevich and state Attorney General Jim Ryan. Rod Blagojevich won 52% to 45%.-Candidates:*Rod Blagojevich, U.S...

     Republican nominee for Governor
  • Adam Andrzejewski
    Adam Andrzejewski
    Adam Andrzejewski is a businessman and government watchdog from the town of Herscher, Illinois and now resides in Hinsdale, Illinois. Andrzejewski was the first announced candidate for the Illinois Gubernatorial election of 2010, announcing his intent to run in March 2009.-Early life, family and...

    , businessman
  • Dan Proft
    Dan Proft
    Daniel K. Proft is political commentator, entrepreneur, and a Republican candidate for Illinois Governor in the 2010 election.-Early life:...

    , political commentator
  • Robert J. "Bob" Schillerstrom, Chairman of the DuPage County
    DuPage County, Illinois
    As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...

     Board, dropped out of race

Results

Candidates

Rich Whitney
Rich Whitney
Rich Whitney is an Illinois politician and civil rights attorney who was the Illinois Green Party's nominee for Governor of Illinois in the elections of 2006 and 2010. During the 2006 campaign Whitney received endorsements from several newspapers, including the Rockford Register Star, Southwest...

, 2006
Illinois gubernatorial election, 2006
The Illinois gubernatorial election of 2006 occurred on November 7, 2006. The Governor of Illinois, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, won re-election for a four-year term scheduled to have ended on January 10, 2011. However, Blagojevich was impeached in 2009...

 Green Party nominee for Governor

Results

Candidates

  • Pat Quinn
    Pat Quinn (politician)
    Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...

     (Democratic) (campaign website): Incumbent governor who assumed office after the impeachment
    Rod Blagojevich corruption charges
    Rod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois, is an American politician under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2005 for corruption. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were charged with corruption by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald...

     of Rod Blagojevich
    Rod Blagojevich
    Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...

    ; sought a full term in 2010. Quinn was previously Revenue Director for the City of Chicago, State Treasurer (1990-1994), and an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator (1996), Illinois Secretary of State (1994), and Lieutenant Governor (1998).

  • Bill Brady
    Bill Brady (politician)
    William E. "Bill" Brady, Jr. is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 44th Legislative District since his appointment in May 2002. He previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 88th District from 1993 to 2000.-Early life, education and...

     (Republican) (campaign website): State senator, real estate and construction businessman, unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2006

  • Rich Whitney
    Rich Whitney
    Rich Whitney is an Illinois politician and civil rights attorney who was the Illinois Green Party's nominee for Governor of Illinois in the elections of 2006 and 2010. During the 2006 campaign Whitney received endorsements from several newspapers, including the Rockford Register Star, Southwest...

     (Green) (campaign website): Green Party
    Green Party (United States)
    The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...

    's 2006 nominee for governor

  • Lex Green (Libertarian) (campaign website): Secretary of the McLean County Libertarian Party
    Libertarian Party (United States)
    The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...


  • Scott Lee Cohen
    Scott Lee Cohen
    Scott Lee Cohen is an American politician and businessman who won the Democratic Party's 2010 nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, then withdrew under pressure shortly after the primary following revelations about his personal life and questions about his background...

     (Independent): Former Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2010 who was replaced by Sheila Simon after withdrawing due to allegations of abuse toward his wife and other charges. Cohen was reported to have been in a private meeting with Speaker Michael Madigan
    Michael Madigan
    Michael J. Madigan is the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois...

     discussing his plan for running against Quinn.

Campaign

After the February 2 Democratic primary in which incumbent Governor Pat Quinn was re-nominated, attention was drawn to Scott Lee Cohen
Scott Lee Cohen
Scott Lee Cohen is an American politician and businessman who won the Democratic Party's 2010 nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, then withdrew under pressure shortly after the primary following revelations about his personal life and questions about his background...

, the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois is the second highest executive of the State of Illinois. In Illinois, the lieutenant governor and governor run on a joint ticket, and are directly elected by popular vote. Candidates for lieutenant governor run separately in the primary from candidates for...

. Illinois law required that candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor run in separate primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

s, but run as a ticket
Ticket (election)
A ticket refers to a single election choice which fills more than one political office or seat. For example, in the U.S., the candidates for President and Vice President run on the same "ticket", because they are elected together on a single ballot question rather than separately.A ticket can also...

 in the November general election. Cohen was criticized for his having been charged with domestic battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...

, in which he was accused of holding a knife to the throat of an ex-girlfriend who was also a convicted prostitute. Cohen was also accused by his ex-wife of physical abuse and using illegally obtained anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...

s. Quinn and Dick Durbin, Illinois's senior U.S. Senator, both said that Cohen should withdraw his candidacy, which he did on February 7. Cohen ran as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

 candidate for the office of Governor against Quinn.

On March 27, 2010, the Democratic State Central Committee chose a replacement candidate, Sheila Simon
Sheila Simon
Sheila J. Simon is an American politician and educator who is the 46th and current Lieutenant Governor of the state of Illinois. She was a Professor of Law at the Southern Illinois University School of Law. Simon is the daughter of former U.S...

. Dan Hynes, who placed second in the gubernatorial primary, denied interest in replacing Cohen on the ticket. Other names suggested included State Representative
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...

 Art Turner, who placed second to Cohen in the Democratic primary and then finished second to Simon in committee balloting on March 27, 2010; State Senator
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...

s Rickey Hendon and Terry Link
Terry Link
Terry Link is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 30th District since 1997. He is also the Chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party...

, State Representative Mike Boland
Mike Boland (politician)
Mike Boland is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 71st District from 1995 until 2011.-Personal life:Born on August 20, 1942, Mike was raised in Davenport, Iowa, one of seven children...

, and electrician Thomas Castillohttp://www.Tom4LtGov.com, all of whom also ran in the primary; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...

 official Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Duckworth
Ladda Tammy Duckworth was formerly Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and formerly the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran and former U.S...

; and State Representative Julie Hamos
Julie Hamos
Julie Hamos was a past Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 18th District since 1999. Her district included the Chicago neighborhood of Rogers Park and the suburbs of Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka and Glencoe.In July 2009, Hamos declared her...

 were suggested as possible replacements. Jeff Melvin, a 21-year retired Army veteran, also applied to the open nominating call for the Democratic Lieutenant Governor position.

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Cook Political Report
Cook Political Report
The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five...

Lean R October 28, 2010
Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst best known for his Washington-based, biweekly, self-proclaimed non-partisan political newsletter The Rothenberg Political Report...

Lean R October 22, 2010
RealClearPolitics
RealClearPolitics
RealClearPolitics is a political news and polling data aggregator based in Chicago, Illinois. The site's founders say their goal is to give readers "ideological diversity." They have described themselves as frustrated with what they perceive as anti-conservative, anti-Christian media bias, and...

Toss up October 28, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball
Sabato's Crystal Ball
Sabato’s Crystal Ball is a free, nonpartisan weekly online newsletter and comprehensive website in the United States that analyzes the current American political scene and predicts electoral outcomes for U.S House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, governors, and U.S. president races...

Leans R October 28, 2010
CQ Politics
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...

Leans R October 28, 2010

Polling

Poll source Dates
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Pat
Quinn (D)
Bill
Brady (R)
Rich
Whitney (G)
Other Unde-
cided
Chicago Tribune (http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/IL_Topline.pdf) October 29, 2010 1,000 ± 3.0% 39% 49% 4% 2% 2%
Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/IL_Topline.pdf) October 23, 2010 1,000 ± 3.0% 39% 44% 4% 7% 6%
Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/elections/ct-met-illinois-governor-race-1026-20101025,0,701182.story) October 18-22, 2010 700 ± 3.7% 39% 43% 4% 7% 6%
Rasmussen Reports (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/illinois/election_2010_illinois_governor) October 20, 2010 750 ± 4.0% 37% 45% 2% 7% 8%
Rasmussen Reports (report) October 12, 2010 750 ± 4.5% 40% 46% 2% 9% 3%
Southern Illinois University (http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/article_0ae47afc-d632-11df-be2b-001cc4c03286.html) September 30 – October 10, 2010 ± 3.5% 29.8% 38.4% 2.2% 5.9% -
Rasmussen Reports (report) October 4, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 38% 46% 4% 5% 8%
Suffolk University (report) September 30 – October 3, 2010 500 ±4.4% 43% 37% 3% 8% 8%
(Public Policy Polling) September 30, 2010 470 ±4.5% 35% 42% 4% 8% 11%
Chicago Tribune (report) September 24-28, 2010 600 ±4% 39% 38% 3% 8% 12%
CNN/TIME (report) September 24-28, 2010 1,504 ±2.5% 38% 40% 4% 16% 2%
We Ask America (http://weaskamerica.com/2010/09/17/illinois-governors-race/) September 13, 2010 1,050 ±2.70% 32% 42% 4% 16%
Rasmussen Reports (report) September 12, 2010 750 ±4.0% 37% 50% 4% 7% 3%
Chicago Tribune (report) Aug. 28 – Sept. 1, 2010 600 ±4.0% 32% 37% 2% 19%
Rasmussen Reports (report) August 23, 2010 750 ±4.0% 37% 46% 6% 11%
Public Policy Polling (report) August 14-15, 2010 576 ±4.1% 30% 39% 11% 6%
Rasmussen Reports (report) August 9, 2010 750 ±4.0% 35% 48% 6% 12%
Rasmussen Reports (report) July 27, 2010 750 ±4.0% 37% 44% 11% 9%
Rasmussen Reports (report) July 7, 2010 500 ±4.5% 40% 43% 9% 8%
Public Policy Polling (report) June 12-13, 2010 552 ±4.2% 30% 34% 9% 27%
Rasmussen Reports (report) June 7, 2010 500 ±4.5% 36% 47% 8% 10%
Research 2000 (report) May 3-5, 2010 600 ±4.0% 36% 39% 25%
We Ask America (http://weaskamerica.com/2010/05/03/report-of-death-exaggerated/) May 2, 2010 1,050 ±3.02% 31.15% 46.25% 4.81% 17.79%
Rasmussen Reports (report) April 28, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 38% 45% 5% 11%
Rasmussen Reports (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/illinois/election_2010_illinois_governor) April 8, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 38% 45% 7% 10%
Public Policy Polling (report) April 5, 2010 591 ± 4.0% 33% 43% 24%
We Ask America (http://weaskamerica.com/?p=159) March 10, 2010 798 3.5 % 31.58% 44.61% 3.51% 20.30%
Rasmussen Reports (report) March 8, 2010 500 ± 4.5% 37% 47% 6% 9%
Research 2000
Research 2000
Research 2000 is a U.S. opinion polling and marketing research company based in Olney, Maryland. It began doing research on upcoming elections in 1999 after its President, Del Ali, moved on from Mason-Dixon Political Media Research...

 (report)
February 22 –24, 2010 600 ± 4.0% 47% 32% 1% 20%
The Illinois Poll (report) February 7, 2010 1,200 ± 2.8% 42% 31% 4% 23%
Rasmussen Reports (report) December 14, 2009 500 ± 4.5% 45% 30% 13% 13%

Results

See also

  • Rod Blagojevich corruption charges
    Rod Blagojevich corruption charges
    Rod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois, is an American politician under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2005 for corruption. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were charged with corruption by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald...

  • United States Senate election in Illinois, 2010

External links


Primary election debates
General election debates and forums
  • Illinois Gubernatorial Debate, C-SPAN
    C-SPAN
    C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...

    , September 29, 2010
  • Candidate forum Chicago Tonight
    Chicago Tonight
    Chicago Tonight is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on WTTW in Chicago. Chicago Tonight reports primarily on local news and presents features showcasing local artists and events. The show started in 1984 and for 15 years popular Chicago broadcast journalist John Callaway...

    , October 28, 2010

Official campaign sites
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