1996 United States Senate election in Illinois
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The 1996 United States Senate election in Illinois took place on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic United States Senator Paul Simon opted to retire rather than seek a third term in the United States Senate. In the Democratic primary, United States Congressman Dick Durbin emerged victorious, while State Representative Al Salvi won the Republican primary. Though the election was initially anticipated to be close, Durbin ended up defeating Salvi by a comfortable double-digit margin of victory, allowing him to win what would be the first of several terms in the Senate.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jalil Ahmad, real estate agent
- Dick Durbin, U.S. Representative
- Ronald F. Gibbs, advisor to former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington
- Paul H. D. Park
- Pat Quinn, Illinois State Treasurer and future Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Illinois
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dick Durbin | 512,520 | 64.87 | |
| Democratic | Pat Quinn | 233,138 | 29.51 | |
| Democratic | Ronald F. Gibbs | 17,681 | 2.24 | |
| Democratic | Jalil Ahmad | 17,211 | 2.18 | |
| Democratic | Paul H. D. Park | 9,505 | 1.20 | |
| Total votes | 790,055 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Al Salvi, State Representative
- Martin Paul Gallagher
- Wayne S. Kurzeja
- Bob Kustra, Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
- Robert Marshall, perennial candidate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Al Salvi | 377,141 | 47.64 | |
| Republican | Bob Kustra | 342,935 | 43.32 | |
| Republican | Robert Marshall | 43,937 | 5.55 | |
| Republican | Martin Paul Gallagher | 17,276 | 2.18 | |
| Republican | Wayne S. Kurzeja | 10,356 | 1.31 | |
| Total votes | 791,645 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Results
Durbin won the election easily.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dick Durbin | 2,384,028 | 56.09% | -8.98% | |
| Republican | Al Salvi | 1,728,824 | 40.67% | +5.74% | |
| Reform | Steven H. Perry | 61,023 | 1.44% | ||
| Libertarian | Robin J. Miller | 41,218 | 0.97% | ||
| Constitution | Chad N. Koppie | 17,563 | 0.41% | ||
| Natural Law | James E. Davis | 13,838 | 0.33% | ||
| Write-ins | 4,228 | 0.10% | |||
| Majority | 655,204 | 15.41% | -14.72% | ||
| Turnout | 4,250,722 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ^ a b "Federal Elections 96: 1996 U.S. Senate Results by State". Fec.gov. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 2015-04-04.