1987 Chicago mayoral election

1987 Chicago mayoral election

←  1983 April 7, 1987 1989 (special)  →
Turnout	74.08% [1] 7.99 pp
Nominee Harold Washington Ed Vrdolyak Party Democratic Illinois Solidarity Popular vote 600,290 468,493 Percentage 53.76% 42.68%
Results by ward
Mayor before election Harold Washington Democratic Elected Mayor Harold Washington Democratic

The Chicago mayoral election of 1987 was first the primary election on February 24, 1987 followed by the general election on April 7, 1987. The election saw the re-election of Chicago, Illinois' first African-American mayor, Harold Washington. Ed Vrdolyak, the leader of the Vrdolyak 29, unsuccessfully opposed him, running on the Illinois Solidarity Party ticket. Former mayor Jane Byrne, who served from 1979 until 1983 unsuccessfully challenged Washington in the Democratic primary.

Primaries and nominations

Democratic primary

Despite having, at one point, considered running for reelection as an independent (thus forgoing a primary), ^[2] incumbent Democrat Harold Washington ultimately ran for re-nomination. This came counter to expectations, which had widely been that he would follow-through on plans run as an independent. ^[3]

Four years earlier Washington had won nomination against divided opposition, and in 1987 faced a more united bloc of opponents. Nevertheless, Washington won the Democratic primary. Former Mayor Jane Byrne challenged Washington in the Democratic primary for mayor. He had unseated her in the previous Democratic primary. Richard M. Daley, who (along with Byrne) had been one of Washington's chief opponents in the 1983 primary threw his support behind Washington. ^[4]

Washington did not attend any debates. ^[5] Byrne's campaign ads argued that, under Washington's tenure, racial tensions in Chicago had increased. ^[4] Byrne's strategy aimed to limit Washington's share of the white vote to a maximum of 10%, while managing to capture 10% of the black vote for herself. ^[4] Post-election polling indicated that Washington received 96% of the black vote (a greater share than he had received four years earlier). ^[4] Polling also indicated that he received 21% of the white vote (more than twice what he had received four years earlier). ^[4] Surveys also indicated that turnout in heavily-black precincts had increased since the last election, whilst turnout in heavily-white precincts had experienced a small decline. ^[4]

Washington's victory made 1987 the first Chicago mayoral race since 1975 Chicago mayoral election in which the incumbent mayor won the primary. ^[4] Also running was Sheila A. Jones. ^[6] Cook County Accessor Thomas Hynes had originally been running for the Democratic nomination. However, on January 7 he dropped out of the primary. ^[7] One January 13 he declared that he intended to instead run as the nominee of the "Chicago First" party, a party which he himself had just founded. ^{[8] [9]}

Two reviews conducted by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and an election watchdog group headed by former U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb found that tens of thousands of ballots were fraudulently cast by ineligible voters. ^{[10] [11]}

Polls

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Jane Byrne	Harold Washington	Undecided
WBBM-TV [12]	January 1987			39%	46%	15%

Results

Results map by ward

Turnout was 75.68%. ^[1]

Washington received 96% of the African-American vote, surpassing the 80% in the 1983 election. ^[13] Washington received 25% of the white vote, rising from 17% he received in 1983. ^[14]

Chicago Democratic Party Mayoral Primary, 1987 [15]
Candidate		Votes	%	+/-
	Harold Washington (incumbent)	586,841	53.50%	+17.22%
	Jane Byrne	507,603	46.27%	+12.63%
	Sheila Jones	2,549	0.23%	+0.12%
Majority		79,238	7.22%	+2.64%
Total		1,096,993	100.00%	N/A

Republican primary

At one point it was believed that, if a federal bribery investigation against members of City Hall (including some in Washington's administration) had proved damaging enough to Washington, he might face a particularly notable Republican opponent such as Richard B. Ogilvie or Dan K. Webb (the latter of whom had been involved in launching the aforementioned bribery probe). ^[3] This did not come into fruition. However, what did come to fruition was simultaneous speculation that Democrats may bolt from their party and challenge Washington as a Republican. ^[3]

The Republican Party nominated Donald H. Haider, a business professor and former city budget director. ^{[4] [16] [17]} Haider was formerly a Democrat. ^{[4] [16]} The fifth overall mayoral candidate to be a resident of Edgewater, Haider would have been the third mayor from Edgewater if he were elected (and the first since Martin H. Kennelly). ^[18] Haider was endorsed by the city's Republican Party organization on December 4, 1986. ^[16] He had narrowly defeated 1983 nominee Bernard Epton for the endorsement. ^[16] However, despite the party endorsing Haider, Epton and Democratic state senator Jeremiah E. Joyce indicated their intentions to challenge Haider in the Republican primary. ^[16] Neither ultimately ran. Instead, he was challenged by Kenneth Hurst, Chester Hornowski, and Ray Wardingley. ^[17]

Kenneth Hurst was the 39th Ward Republican committeeman and was also running for alderman in that ward. ^[17] A self-described Reagan Republican, he ran for mayor on a wide number of social issues. Hurst opposed the Equal Rights Amendment and a gay rights ordinance by the City Council. ^[17] He also opposed publicly subsidized abortions and the distribution of contraceptives in clinics at public schools. ^[17]

Chester Hornowski was the 35th Ward Republican committeeman, as well as a police officer. ^[17] He focused his time more heavily on his coinciding aldermanic campaign, admitting he had little prospect of becoming mayor. ^{[17] [19]} He ran for mayor on a "law and order" platform, also pledging to end tax hikes and improve the city's schools. ^[17] Ray Wardingley, an entertainer who performed as a clown under the name "Spanky the Clown", had run for mayor twice before. ^[17] He promoted himself as the candidate representing "the little guy" ^[17]

Results

Haider won the primary.

Illinois Solidarity nomination

Vrdolyak formally received the Illinois Solidarity nomination on February 24. ^[9]

Independents and other third-party candidates

Independent candidate Ronald D. Bartos saw his name removed from the ballot due to issues with his petition. ^[20]

"Chicago First" nominee Thomas Hynes withdrew two days before the election and threw his support behind Washington's two remaining opponents. ^{[21] [22]}

General election

Campaign

Some regarded Washington's modest margin of victory in the Democratic primary as an indicator that he would be vulnerable in the general election. ^[4]

Initially, Chicago First nominee Hynes polled well. He claimed he was a fresh alternative to the dirty infighting that had defined Chicago politics in recent years. ^[23] Hynes also talked about being the issue-oriented candidate as opposed to some of the other candidates who allegedly talked about each other. ^[23] As the election drew close, voters opposed to Mayor Washington rallied behind Vrdolyak, Washington's most fiery opponent. Hynes' support waned. ^[24] Just two days before the general election, Hynes dropped out, leaving Vrdolyak and Haider as Washington's remaining opponents. Hynes did not throw his support to any of the remaining candidates, but suggested that either Vrdolyak or Haider should also drop out make it a one-on-one race against Washington. ^[22]

During the campaign, in a desperate bid for press, Republican nominee Haider rode an elephant (an animal often used to symbolize the Republican Party) down State Street. ^[25]

Civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King Jr., campaigned for Washington in predominately African-American neighborhoods throughout the city, most notably at the city's public housing complexes. ^[26]

Results

Mayor of Chicago 1987 ^[27] (general election)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harold Washington (incumbent)	600,290	53.76
	Illinois Solidarity	Edward Vrdolyak	468,493	42.68
	Republican	Donald Haider	47,652	4.36
Turnout			1,116,435

Washington won a plurality of the vote in 27 of Chicago's 50 wards (winning a majority in 25 of those wards). ^[28] Vrdolyak won a plurality in 23 wards (winning a majority in 20 of those wards). ^[28]

Results by ward ^[28]

Ward	Harold Washington (Democratic Party)		Edward Vrdolyak (Solidarity Party)		Donald Haider (Republican Party)		Total
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes
1	12,179	59.7%	7,245	35.5%	977	4.8%	20,401
2	20,018	97.6%	296	1.4%	194	0.9%	20,508
3	20,769	99.0%	113	0.5%	100	0.5%	20,982
4	19,766	93.0%	946	4.5%	540	2.5%	21,252
5	22,543	92.2%	1,256	5.1%	642	2.6%	24,441
6	32,676	99.1%	182	0.6%	117	0.4%	32,975
7	16,072	83.6%	3,049	15.9%	108	0.6%	19,229
8	29,847	98.5%	340	1.1%	102	0.3%	30,289
9	22,012	95.0%	1,036	4.5%	113	0.5%	23,161
10	9,052	31.0%	19,906	68.2%	241	0.8%	29,199
11	4,460	20.5%	16,894	77.5%	432	2.0%	21,786
12	3,337	16.5%	16,186	80.2%	657	3.3%	20,180
13	1,123	3.4%	31,018	93.3%	1,092	3.3%	33,233
14	3,342	15.4%	17,766	81.9%	585	2.7%	21,693
15	18,426	79.1%	4,602	19.7%	278	1.2%	23,306
16	21,954	98.9%	154	0.7%	86	0.4%	22,194
17	25,339	99.1%	126	0.5%	99	0.4%	25,564
18	15,810	48.6%	16,146	49.6%	568	1.7%	32,524
19	6,248	19.6%	23,634	74.1%	1,992	6.2%	31,874
20	21,748	98.8%	146	0.7%	115	0.5%	22,009
21	30,370	98.9%	206	0.7%	138	0.4%	30,714
22	4,006	56.0%	2,963	41.4%	183	2.6%	7,152
23	961	3.1%	28,567	93.6%	994	3.3%	30,522
24	22,741	99.0%	125	0.5%	107	0.5%	22,973
25	4,940	50.8%	4,528	46.6%	249	2.6%	9,717
26	9,027	69.4%	3,543	27.2%	432	3.3%	13,002
27	15,282	88.7%	1,775	10.3%	168	1.0%	17,225
28	19,141	99.2%	82	0.4%	75	0.4%	19,298
29	19,389	94.7%	927	4.5%	153	0.7%	20,469
30	5,160	26.5%	13,319	68.3%	1,011	5.2%	19,490
31	9,332	67.0%	4,123	29.6%	479	3.4%	13,934
32	4,832	33.3%	9,067	62.5%	605	4.2%	14,504
33	4,737	30.4%	9,837	63.2%	1,003	6.4%	15,577
34	27,407	98.8%	231	0.8%	94	0.3%	27,732
35	2,628	14.6%	13,871	77.3%	1,454	8.1%	17,953
36	1,886	6.7%	25,096	88.5%	1,372	4.8%	28,354
37	20,522	96.8%	551	2.6%	130	0.6%	21,203
38	1,292	4.6%	25,024	89.5%	1,659	5.9%	27,975
39	2,731	13.2%	16,308	78.9%	1,632	7.9%	20,671
40	3,050	18.7%	11,518	70.7%	1,724	10.6%	16,292
41	1,582	5.2%	26,530	86.8%	2,461	8.0%	30,573
42	9,680	42.1%	10,215	44.4%	3,100	13.5%	22,995
43	7,723	29.3%	13,707	52.1%	4,897	18.6%	26,327
44	8,002	37.8%	10,389	49.1%	2,756	13.0%	21,147
45	1,562	5.5%	24,812	87.2%	2,064	7.3%	28,438
46	9,944	51.4%	7,564	39.1%	1,844	9.5%	19,352
47	4,161	21.8%	13,008	68.2%	1,896	9.9%	19,065
48	8,789	48.5%	7,348	40.6%	1,966	10.9%	18,103
49	8,269	47.1%	7,496	42.7%	1,809	10.3%	17,574
50	4,385	20.7%	14,673	69.2%	2,155	10.2%	21,213
Total	600,252	53.8%	468,444	42.0%	47,648	4.3%	1,116,344

References

1. "Election Live Blog: Low voter turnout continues into evening". Chicago Sun-Times. April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
2. Chicago's Mayor May Run On An Independent Ticket Ocala Star-Banner - Feb 18, 1985
3. Green, Larry (March 2, 1986). "Scandal Has Mayor of Chicago Fighting for His Political Life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
4. Malcolm, Andrew H. (February 25, 1987). "WASHINGTON IS VICTOR IN CHICAGO MAYORAL PRIMARY". New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
5. "Chicago's 1991 mayoral elections: Richard M. Daley wins second term".
6. "State of Illinois, County of Cook, Case No. 87-EB-175" (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. January 12, 1987.
7. "State of Illinois, County of Cook, Case No. 87-EB-ALD-176" (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. January 7, 1987.
8. "[Chicago mayoral primary 1987]". WLS-TV. January 13, 1987. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
9. The Washington Post
10. "2 REVIEWS BARE UP TO 100,000 IRREGULARITIES". Chicago Tribune. March 8, 1987. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
11. "'MASSIVE' FRAUD REPORTED DURING CHICAGO PRIMARY". Washington Post. March 9, 1987. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
12. "Epton Bows Out Of Chicago Mayoral Race". AP NEWS. Associated Press. January 14, 1987. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
13. New York Times - WASHINGTON IS VICTOR IN CHICAGO MAYORAL PRIMARY - Feb. 25, 1987
14. Chicago Reader - Can Washington’s victory point the way forward for the next Chicago mayor? - By Ben Joravsky and Tom Brune | March 10, 2015
15. "Election Results for 1987 Primary Election, Mayor, Chicago, IL". Chicago Democracy Project. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018.
16. Neal, Steve; Houston, Jack (December 4, 1986). "Haider gets GOP nod for Mayor". Chicago Tribune.
17. Camper, John; Devall, Cheryl (February 23, 1987). "4 REPUBLICANS TRY TO MAKE A DENT IN MAYORAL RACE John Camper and Cheryl Devall CHICAGO TRIBUNE". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
18. "Edgewater Teasers Vol. XVI No. 3 - FALL 2005". Edgewater History. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
19. "REPUBLICAN opposition @ 1987 CHICAGO mayoral race". YouTube . Archived from the original on December 5, 2021.
20. "State of Illinois, County of Cook, Case No. 87-EB-IND-1" (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. February 10, 1987.
21. Joravsky, Ben (February 4, 2010). "Harold and the Hyneses". Chicago Reader. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
22. "Hynes withdraws from mayoral race". UPI. April 5, 1987. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
23. Rivlin, Gary (April 2, 1987). "Mr. Machine". Chicago Reader. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
24. Joravsky, Ben (February 4, 2010). "Harold and the Hyneses". Chicago Reader.
25. 10 things you might not know about Chicago mayoral elections Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer March 10, 2015
26. CORETTA SCOTT KING & HAROLD WASHINGTON @ 1987 CHICAGO mayoral race - CBS news segment
27. "Board of Election Commissioners For the City of Chicago Mayoral Election Results Since 1900 General Elections Only". Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. July 18, 2004. Archived from the original on July 18, 2004. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
28. "Election Results for 1987 General Election, Mayor, Chicago, IL". chicagodemocracy.org. Chicago Democracy Project (Michael Dawson/University of Chicago). Archived from the original on June 21, 2021.