1990 United States Senate election in Illinois

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1990 United States Senate election in Illinois
Flag of Illinois.svg
←  1984 November 6, 1990 1996  →
Turnout53.90%
  Sen. Paul Simon.jpg Lynn Morley Martin (1).jpg
Nominee Paul Simon Lynn Morley Martin
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote2,115,3771,135,628
Percentage65.07%34.93%
1990 United States Senate election in Illinois results map by county.svg
Illinois 1990 Senate election by township.svg
Simon:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Martin:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Tie:      50%
U.S. senator before election

Paul Simon
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Paul Simon
Democratic

The 1990 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Simon sought re-election to a second term in office. Simon was opposed by Republican nominee Lynn Morley Martin, a U.S. Congresswoman from Illinois's 16th congressional district, whom he easily defeated to win a second and final term in the Senate.

Contents

Primaries were held March 20, 1990. [1]

Background

The primaries and general elections coincided with those for House, as well as those for state offices.

For the primaries, turnout was 23.02%, with 1,384,324 votes cast. [1] For the general election, turnout was 53.90%, with 3,251,005 votes cast. [2]

Democratic primary

Democratic primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Paul Simon (incumbent) 811,329 100.00%
Total votes811,329 100.00%

Republican primary

Republican primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Lynn Martin 572,995 100.00%
Total votes572,995 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Election

At the start of the election, Martin was considered a formidable challenger, but her campaign floundered – in ads, Martin poked fun at Simon's signature bow tie, but the ad campaign, an attempt at humor, was seen by some as petty and mean-spirited. Martin's campaign suffered from poor fundraising as well, being outspent by Simon by a margin of two-to-one. Simon's popularity proved too much to overcome, and he won with 65 percent of the vote, carrying all but two counties in the state; Edwards County in the southeast and McHenry County outside Chicago, in the heart of the district Martin represented for most of the 1980s. In a midterm favorable to Democrats, Martin was further hurt by negative campaign tactics deployed by advisor Roger Ailes, as well as a number of gaffes. Including, referencing downstate voters as "rednecks". [3] Martin raised the most campaign funds out of any Republican Senate challenger that cycle. [3]

Results

United States Senate election in Illinois, 1990 [2] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Paul Simon (incumbent) 2,115,377 65.07% +15.00%
Republican Lynn Martin 1,135,62834.93%−13.28%
Total votes3,251,005 100.00% N/A
Democratic hold

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Michaelson, Ronald D. (Executive Director) (June 13, 1990). "Official Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held on March 20, 1990". Illinois State Board of Elections. p. 16. Retrieved June 17, 2024– via Internet Archive.
  2. 1 2 Michaelson, Ronald D. (Executive Director) (January 17, 1991). "Official Vote Cast at the General Election November 6, 1990". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved June 17, 2024– via Internet Archive.
  3. 1 2 Oreskes, Michael (October 19, 1990). "High Hopes of Defeating Simon Are Being Deflated". The New York Times . Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ Dendy, Dallas L. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990" (PDF).
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