1976 Illinois gubernatorial election
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (December 2015) |
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 Red denotes a county carried by Thompson, Blue by Howlett. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Gubernatorial elections were held in Illinois in November 1976. Incumbent Governor Dan Walker lost renomination in favor of Secretary of State Michael J. Howlett, who was a Daley ally. Howlett then lost the general election to Republican James R. Thompson. This election was for a two-year term which would synchronize future gubernatorial elections with midterm election years, rather than presidential election years.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James R. Thompson | 3,000,365 | 64.68 | ||
| Democratic | Michael J. Howlett | 1,610,258 | 34.71 | ||
| Communist | Ishmael Flory | 10,091 | 0.22 | ||
| Libertarian | F. Joseph McCaffrey | 7,552 | 0.16 | ||
| Socialist Workers | Suzanne Haig | 4,926 | 0.11 | ||
| Socialist Labor | George LaForest | 3,147 | 0.07 | ||
| U.S. Labor | Edward Waffle | 2,302 | 0.05 | ||
| N/A | write-ins | 369 | 0.01 | n−a | |
| Majority | 1,390,137 | 29.97 | |||
| Turnout | 3,150,107 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
Democratic Primary
The incumbent Governor, Dan Walker, had a contentious relationship with the Daley Machine, which backed Secretary of State Michael J. Howlett. Walker carried most of the state's counties, but Howlett carried Cook county by a wide margin and was ultimately nominated.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Michael J. Howlett | 811,721 | 53.82 | ||
| Democratic | Dan Walker (incumbent) | 696,380 | 46.17 | ||
| Democratic | write-ins | 245 | 0.02 | n−a | |
| Majority | 115,341 | 7.65 | |||
| Turnout | 1,508,346 | ||||
Republican Primary
Thompson won the Republican Primary in a landslide, carrying every county.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James R. Thompson | 625,457 | 86.44 | ||
| Republican | Richard H. Cooper | 97,937 | 13.54 | ||
| Republican | write-ins | 170 | 0.02 | n−a | |
| Majority | 1,390,137 | 29.97 | |||
| Turnout | 3,150,107 | ||||
References
- ^ "IL Governor Race - Nov 07, 1978". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
- ^ "IL Governor- D Primary Race - Mar 16, 1976". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
- ^ "IL Governor-R Primary Race - Mar 16, 1976". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
| Elections in Illinois |
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