United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2008 congressional elections in Missouri were held on November 7, 2006 to determine who will represent the state
of Illinois
in the United States House of Representatives
.
Illinois has nineteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 110th Congress
from January 3, 2007 until January 3, 2009.
This district, one of the most heavily Democratic in Illinois and the country, has been represented by Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush
since his initial election in 1992. This district is known for having the largest percentage of African-Americans of all congressional districts nationwide; true to the nature of this district, Rush is an African-American. Facing Republican nominee Jason Tabour, Rush easily achieved an eighth term in Congress.
Initially elected in a special election in 1995 to replace disgraced Congressman Mel Reynolds
, Jesse Jackson, Jr.
has been subsequently re-elected by wide margins in this very liberal district, based in the southeastern portion of Chicago
and some of the southern Chicagoan suburbs. This election proved to be no different, and Jackson stomped Republican opponent Robert Belin and Libertarian opponent Anthony Williams to win another term.
In this solidly liberal district, based in the southwestern territory of Chicago and western suburbs of Chicago, has a record of sending socially conservative Democrats to Congress—incumbent Democratic Congressman Dan Lipinski
has proved no different. Following the retirement of his father, long-serving Congressman Bill Lipinski
, Dan Lipinski was elected to Congress in 2004 and faced his first re-election campaign in 2006. Lipinski easily defeated Republican challenger Raymond Wardingley to win a second term.
This strangely-gerrymandered district connects a northern section that is primarily composed of Puerto Ricans
and a southern section that is made up of Mexican-Americans to achieve a Hispanic-American majority district. Staunchly in the Democratic column, this district has continually sent incumbent Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez
back to Congress by overwhelming margins. Seeking his eighth term, Gutierrez ultimately overwhelmed Republican challenger Ann Melichar in a landslide.
and the western Chicagoan suburbs, has been represented by, among others, Stephen A. Douglas
and Rod Blagojevich
before current Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel
assumed office in 2002. Emanuel faced no real challenge from Republican opponent Kevin White due to the district’s strong tendency towards the Democratic Party and was re-elected to a third term.
Long-serving incumbent Republican Congressman Henry Hyde
declined to seek a seventeenth term in this moderate district based in the Chicago suburbs in DuPage County
and Cook County
, creating an open seat. State Senator Peter Roskam
emerged as the Republican nominee while disabled Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth
became the Democratic nominee. In a close election marked by special appearances from well-known politicians like John McCain
, George W. Bush
, and Dennis Hastert
, Roskam ultimately edged out Duckworth by a thin margin.
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Danny K. Davis
opted to run for a sixth term in the House of Representatives
and did not face a serious challenge in this solidly liberal district based in southern and western Chicago
and the western Chicagoan suburbs. Davis swamped Republican challenger Charles Hutchinson with well over eighty percent of the vote, securing another term in this African-American majority district.
In 2004, Melissa Bean
scored an upset, defeating long-time incumbent Congressman Phil Crane
, and she became the first Democratic representative from the district since its creation in 1935 even though President George W. Bush
carried the district by a large margin. In 2006, Congresswoman Bean sought a second term and was opposed by investment banker David McSweeney. Though some anticipated a close race, Bean outlasted McSweeney by a comfortable margin, considering the district’s moderate nature.
Incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
, seeking her fifth term in Congress, did not face a serious challenge in this consistently liberal district based in the North Side of Chicago
and the northern Chicagoan suburbs. True to the district’s history of electing Democrats, Schakowsky slammed Republican opponent Michael Shannon with nearly seventy-five percent of the vote.
Initially elected in 2000, incumbent Republican Congressman Mark Kirk
built a reputation as being a moderate Republican, the kind of Republican that this liberal-leaning district in the northern suburbs of Chicago
would elect. Facing off against Democratic challenger and businessman Dan Seals
, Kirk experienced a serious challenge. Seals was able to remain competitive against Kirk for most of the campaign, abetted by the Democratic wave sweeping the country, but he ultimately fell to the incumbent Republican and lost by around thirteen thousand votes and seven points.
In this conservative-leaning, heavily gerrymandered district, incumbent Republican Congressman Jerry Weller
experienced a more serious challenge from Democratic challenger John Pavich than he was used to. The 11th stretches from the southern suburbs of Chicago
to Bureau County and then dips down into Bloomington
and Normal
. True to the district’s conservative tilt, however, Weller defeated Pavich by a fairly solid margin on election day.
This liberal-leaning district based in southern Illinois and the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis has consistently given Democratic incumbent Congressman Jerry Costello
solid re-elections ever since he was initially elected in a 1988 special election. Seeing as he faced no challenge this year other than a few write-in votes, Costello was a shoo-in for re-election and received nearly one hundred percent of the vote.
In this compact district based in the southwest suburbs of Chicago
, incumbent Republican Congresswoman Judy Biggert
sought a fifth term. Biggert has typically enjoyed wide margins of victory in this moderately-conservative district, and this year proved no different. Biggert defeated Democratic challenger Joseph Shannon by a seventeen point margin—a wide margin, no doubt, but thinner than what Biggert received before.
, the Speaker of the House
since 1999, has represented this conservative-leaning district since his initial election in 1986. Hastert faced off against Democratic challenger John Laesch in the general election, and, true to this northern Illinois
district’s conservative history, defeated him by a wide margin.
Incumbent Republican Congressman Tim Johnson, who has represented this district since 2000, sought a fourth term this year. The 15th district, which includes much of eastern Illinois and stretches into southern Illinois, is one of the most conservative districts in Illinois, and as such, Johnson did not experience a particularly tough challenge from Democratic opponent David Gill.
In this conservative-leaning district based in northern Illinois
, incumbent Republican Congressman Donald Manzullo has not experienced a serious challenge since his initial election in 1992, and this year proved no different. Manzullo crushed Democratic opponent Richard Auman and independent challenger John Borling with nearly sixty-five percent of the vote and won an eighth term in Congress.
This strangely-shaped district constitutes much of western and central Illinois
and was gerrymandered to protect incumbent Democratic Congressman Lane Evans
. Evans planned on seeking a thirteenth term in Congress this year, but was forced to retire due to the increasingly debilitating effect s of Parkinson’s disease. Evans’s longtime Chief-of-Staff, Phil Hare
, was selected as the Democratic nominee in his place and faced off against previous Congressional candidate and former television reporter Andrea Zinga
in the general election, which he won handily.
This solidly conservative district based in western and central Illinois
has been represented by incumbent Republican Congressman Ray LaHood
since 1995 and has consistently given him comfortable margins of re-election. This year, despite the anti-Republican sentiment nationwide, LaHood was able to swamp Democratic opponent Steve Waterworth with nearly seventy percent of the vote.
This district, the most conservative in Illinois, is composed mainly of southern Illinois, but is also gerrymandered to include Springfield
and a small sliver in western Illinois. Incumbent Republican Congressman John Shimkus
, seeking a sixth term, faced off against Democratic opponent Danny Stover. Shimkus played a prominent role in the Mark Foley scandal; he knew of embattled Congressman Foley's controversial activities as the Chairman of the House Page Board and did not take action against Foley. Despite this, Shimkus ultimately swamped Stover on election day, winning over sixty percent of the vote and another term in Congress.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
Illinois has nineteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 110th Congress
110th United States Congress
The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
from January 3, 2007 until January 3, 2009.
Overview
| United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | |
| Democratic | 1,986,431 | 57.53% | 10 | — | |
| Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
1,442,526 | 41.78% | 9 | — | |
| Independents | 23,624 | 0.68% | 0 | — | |
| Totals | 3,452,581 | 100.00% | 19 | — | |
District 1
This district, one of the most heavily Democratic in Illinois and the country, has been represented by Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush
Bobby Rush
Bobby Lee Rush is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is located principally on the South Side of Chicago. It is a minority-majority district and has a higher percentage of African Americans than any other congressional district in...
since his initial election in 1992. This district is known for having the largest percentage of African-Americans of all congressional districts nationwide; true to the nature of this district, Rush is an African-American. Facing Republican nominee Jason Tabour, Rush easily achieved an eighth term in Congress.
District 2
Initially elected in a special election in 1995 to replace disgraced Congressman Mel Reynolds
Mel Reynolds
Melvin Reynolds is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois. His political career ended in scandal.-Early life:...
, Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Jesse Louis Jackson, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since the special election in 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
has been subsequently re-elected by wide margins in this very liberal district, based in the southeastern portion of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and some of the southern Chicagoan suburbs. This election proved to be no different, and Jackson stomped Republican opponent Robert Belin and Libertarian opponent Anthony Williams to win another term.
District 3
In this solidly liberal district, based in the southwestern territory of Chicago and western suburbs of Chicago, has a record of sending socially conservative Democrats to Congress—incumbent Democratic Congressman Dan Lipinski
Dan Lipinski
Daniel William Lipinski is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes much of the southwest side of Chicago, along with such suburbs as Oak Lawn and Brookfield....
has proved no different. Following the retirement of his father, long-serving Congressman Bill Lipinski
Bill Lipinski
William Oliver Lipinski , American politician, was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2005, representing a district in Chicago....
, Dan Lipinski was elected to Congress in 2004 and faced his first re-election campaign in 2006. Lipinski easily defeated Republican challenger Raymond Wardingley to win a second term.
District 4
This strangely-gerrymandered district connects a northern section that is primarily composed of Puerto Ricans
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and a southern section that is made up of Mexican-Americans to achieve a Hispanic-American majority district. Staunchly in the Democratic column, this district has continually sent incumbent Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez
Luis Gutiérrez
Luis Vicente Gutiérrez is an American politician and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. Gutiérrez was the first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest. From 1986 until his election to Congress he served as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 26th ward...
back to Congress by overwhelming margins. Seeking his eighth term, Gutierrez ultimately overwhelmed Republican challenger Ann Melichar in a landslide.
District 5
This district, currently located in the North Side of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the western Chicagoan suburbs, has been represented by, among others, Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
and 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...
before current Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
assumed office in 2002. Emanuel faced no real challenge from Republican opponent Kevin White due to the district’s strong tendency towards the Democratic Party and was re-elected to a third term.
District 6
Long-serving incumbent Republican Congressman Henry Hyde
Henry Hyde
Henry John Hyde , an American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007, representing the 6th District of Illinois, an area of Chicago's northwestern suburbs which included O'Hare International Airport...
declined to seek a seventeenth term in this moderate district based in the Chicago suburbs in 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...
and Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, creating an open seat. State Senator Peter Roskam
Peter Roskam
Peter James Roskam is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and Chief Deputy Whip in the 112th Congress, ranking fourth among house Republican leaders; also served in the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives.-Early life,...
emerged as the Republican nominee while disabled Iraq War veteran 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...
became the Democratic nominee. In a close election marked by special appearances from well-known politicians like John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, and Dennis Hastert
Dennis Hastert
John Dennis "Denny" Hastert was the 59th Speaker of the House serving from 1999 to 2007. He represented as a Republican for twenty years, 1987 to 2007.He is the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history...
, Roskam ultimately edged out Duckworth by a thin margin.
District 7
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Danny K. Davis
Danny K. Davis
For other persons named Danny Davis, please see Daniel Davis .Daniel K. Davis is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
opted to run for a sixth term in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and did not face a serious challenge in this solidly liberal district based in southern and western Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the western Chicagoan suburbs. Davis swamped Republican challenger Charles Hutchinson with well over eighty percent of the vote, securing another term in this African-American majority district.
District 8
In 2004, Melissa Bean
Melissa Bean
Melissa Luburich Bean is a former U.S. Representative for the who served from 2005 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
scored an upset, defeating long-time incumbent Congressman Phil Crane
Phil Crane
Philip Miller "Phil" Crane is a former American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 2005, representing the 8th District of Illinois in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago...
, and she became the first Democratic representative from the district since its creation in 1935 even though President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
carried the district by a large margin. In 2006, Congresswoman Bean sought a second term and was opposed by investment banker David McSweeney. Though some anticipated a close race, Bean outlasted McSweeney by a comfortable margin, considering the district’s moderate nature.
District 9
Incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
Jan Schakowsky
Janice D. "Jan" Schakowsky is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes many of Chicago's northern suburbs, including Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Rosemont...
, seeking her fifth term in Congress, did not face a serious challenge in this consistently liberal district based in the North Side of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the northern Chicagoan suburbs. True to the district’s history of electing Democrats, Schakowsky slammed Republican opponent Michael Shannon with nearly seventy-five percent of the vote.
District 10
Initially elected in 2000, incumbent Republican Congressman Mark Kirk
Mark Kirk
Mark Steven Kirk is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Kirk was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 10th congressional district....
built a reputation as being a moderate Republican, the kind of Republican that this liberal-leaning district in the northern suburbs of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
would elect. Facing off against Democratic challenger and businessman Dan Seals
Dan Seals
Danny Wayland "Dan" Seals was an American musician. The younger brother of Seals & Crofts member Jim Seals, he first gained fame as the "England Dan" half of the soft rock duo England Dan and John Ford Coley, which charted nine pop and adult contemporary singles between 1976 and 1980, including...
, Kirk experienced a serious challenge. Seals was able to remain competitive against Kirk for most of the campaign, abetted by the Democratic wave sweeping the country, but he ultimately fell to the incumbent Republican and lost by around thirteen thousand votes and seven points.
District 11
In this conservative-leaning, heavily gerrymandered district, incumbent Republican Congressman Jerry Weller
Jerry Weller
Gerald C. "Jerry" Weller is an American politician who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing .- Early life:...
experienced a more serious challenge from Democratic challenger John Pavich than he was used to. The 11th stretches from the southern suburbs of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Bureau County and then dips down into Bloomington
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
and Normal
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
. True to the district’s conservative tilt, however, Weller defeated Pavich by a fairly solid margin on election day.
District 12
This liberal-leaning district based in southern Illinois and the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis has consistently given Democratic incumbent Congressman Jerry Costello
Jerry Costello
Jerry Francis Costello is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the dean of Illinois's 21-member Congressional delegation. The 12th district includes the St. Louis area suburb cities and stretches to deep Southern Illinois.-Early life,...
solid re-elections ever since he was initially elected in a 1988 special election. Seeing as he faced no challenge this year other than a few write-in votes, Costello was a shoo-in for re-election and received nearly one hundred percent of the vote.
District 13
In this compact district based in the southwest suburbs of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, incumbent Republican Congresswoman Judy Biggert
Judy Biggert
Judith Borg "Judy" Biggert is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. She is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
sought a fifth term. Biggert has typically enjoyed wide margins of victory in this moderately-conservative district, and this year proved no different. Biggert defeated Democratic challenger Joseph Shannon by a seventeen point margin—a wide margin, no doubt, but thinner than what Biggert received before.
District 14
Incumbent Republican Congressman Dennis HastertDennis Hastert
John Dennis "Denny" Hastert was the 59th Speaker of the House serving from 1999 to 2007. He represented as a Republican for twenty years, 1987 to 2007.He is the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history...
, the Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
since 1999, has represented this conservative-leaning district since his initial election in 1986. Hastert faced off against Democratic challenger John Laesch in the general election, and, true to this northern Illinois
Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois.-Economics:Northern Illinois is dominated by the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Rockford, and the Quad Cities, which contain a majority of Illinois' population and economic activity, including...
district’s conservative history, defeated him by a wide margin.
District 15
Incumbent Republican Congressman Tim Johnson, who has represented this district since 2000, sought a fourth term this year. The 15th district, which includes much of eastern Illinois and stretches into southern Illinois, is one of the most conservative districts in Illinois, and as such, Johnson did not experience a particularly tough challenge from Democratic opponent David Gill.
District 16
In this conservative-leaning district based in northern Illinois
Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois.-Economics:Northern Illinois is dominated by the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Rockford, and the Quad Cities, which contain a majority of Illinois' population and economic activity, including...
, incumbent Republican Congressman Donald Manzullo has not experienced a serious challenge since his initial election in 1992, and this year proved no different. Manzullo crushed Democratic opponent Richard Auman and independent challenger John Borling with nearly sixty-five percent of the vote and won an eighth term in Congress.
Disrict 17
This strangely-shaped district constitutes much of western and central Illinois
Central Illinois
Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central section of the state, divided in thirds from north to south. It is an area of mostly flat prairie. The western section was originally part of the Military Tract of 1812 and forms the distinctive western...
and was gerrymandered to protect incumbent Democratic Congressman Lane Evans
Lane Evans
Lane Allen Evans is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 until 2007, representing the 17th District of Illinois...
. Evans planned on seeking a thirteenth term in Congress this year, but was forced to retire due to the increasingly debilitating effect s of Parkinson’s disease. Evans’s longtime Chief-of-Staff, Phil Hare
Phil Hare
Philip G. "Phil" Hare is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, was selected as the Democratic nominee in his place and faced off against previous Congressional candidate and former television reporter Andrea Zinga
Andrea Zinga
Andrea Lane Zinga is a former television reporter, and was twice the Republican nominee for Congress in .-Personal history:Zinga was born and raised in Macomb, Illinois and is a graduate of Macomb High School...
in the general election, which he won handily.
District 18
This solidly conservative district based in western and central Illinois
Central Illinois
Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central section of the state, divided in thirds from north to south. It is an area of mostly flat prairie. The western section was originally part of the Military Tract of 1812 and forms the distinctive western...
has been represented by incumbent Republican Congressman Ray LaHood
Ray LaHood
Raymond H. "Ray" LaHood is a Republican politician from Illinois who is currently the United States Secretary of Transportation, having served since 2009. Previously, he represented the Illinois's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven terms .-Early life and...
since 1995 and has consistently given him comfortable margins of re-election. This year, despite the anti-Republican sentiment nationwide, LaHood was able to swamp Democratic opponent Steve Waterworth with nearly seventy percent of the vote.
District 19
This district, the most conservative in Illinois, is composed mainly of southern Illinois, but is also gerrymandered to include Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
and a small sliver in western Illinois. Incumbent Republican Congressman John Shimkus
John Shimkus
John Mondy Shimkus is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, seeking a sixth term, faced off against Democratic opponent Danny Stover. Shimkus played a prominent role in the Mark Foley scandal; he knew of embattled Congressman Foley's controversial activities as the Chairman of the House Page Board and did not take action against Foley. Despite this, Shimkus ultimately swamped Stover on election day, winning over sixty percent of the vote and another term in Congress.
External links
- Illinois State Board of Elections
- Campaign contributions for Illinois congressional races from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...