This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(March 2021) |
Democratic Party of Illinois | |
---|---|
Chairperson | Elizabeth Hernandez |
Governor | JB Pritzker |
Lieutenant Governor | Juliana Stratton |
Senate President | Don Harmon |
House Speaker | Chris Welch |
Headquarters | Springfield, Illinois |
Ideology | Modern liberalism |
National affiliation | Democratic Party |
Colors | Blue |
Statewide Executive Offices | 6 / 6 |
Seats in the U.S. Senate | 2 / 2 |
Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives | 14 / 17 |
Seats in the Illinois Senate | 40 / 59 |
Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives | 78 / 118 |
Election symbol | |
Website | |
ildems | |
The Democratic Party of Illinois is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the oldest extant state party in Illinois and one of just two recognized parties in the state, along with the Republican Party. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling the majority of Illinois' U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, both houses of the state legislature, and the governorship.
The Democratic Party of Illinois took shape during the late 1830s. Prior to that time, Illinois did not have organized political parties; instead, political competition in the state was more personalist, with prominent factions centered on Governors Ninian Edwards and Shadrach Bond. As the Democratic and Whig parties began to form at the national level during the late 1820s and 1830s, Illinois politicians began sorting themselves accordingly and, in the summer of 1837, leading Democrats met to lay the groundwork for a Democratic Party organization in the state.
Before 2010, the party had been extremely successful in statewide elections for the past decade. In 1992, Carol Moseley Braun became the first African American woman to be elected to the United States Senate. Her election marked the first time Illinois had elected a woman, and the first time a Black person was elected as a Democratic Party candidate to the United States Senate. A second African American Democratic Senator, Barack Obama was elected in 2004 (the same seat that Senator Moseley-Braun once held), and later elected President of the United States in 2008. Democrats currently hold supermajorities in both the Illinois Senate and Illinois House of Representatives.
The Democratic Party of Illinois is run by a Democratic State Central Committee of 34 members, two from each of the state's 17 congressional districts. The Central Committee has four officers: a chairman, a vice-chair, a secretary, and a treasurer.
Calvin Sutker of Skokie served as state party chairman until 1986 when he lost his committeeman seat to reform Democrat Jeffrey Paul Smith. [1] Sutker was succeeded by Vince Demuzio, who served from 1986 to 1990 and is credited with rebuilding the Illinois Democratic Party. [2] Demuzio was then defeated by Gary LaPaille, then-chief of staff for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan himself succeeded LaPaille, serving in the role until he stepped down in 2021. He was succeeded by U.S. Representative Robin Kelly. In 2022, Kelly was replaced by State Representative Lisa Hernandez.
The Cook County Democratic Party represents voters in 50 wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban townships of Cook County. It relies on an organizational structure of ward and township committeemen to elect candidates.
Democrats have controlled both of Illinois's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2017:
Out of the 17 seats Illinois is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 14 are held by Democrats:
District | Member | Photo |
---|---|---|
1st | Jonathan Jackson | |
2nd | Robin Kelly | |
3rd | Delia Ramirez | |
4th | Jesús "Chuy" García | |
5th | Mike Quigley | |
6th | Sean Casten | |
7th | Danny K. Davis | |
8th | Raja Krishnamoorthi | |
9th | Jan Schakowsky | |
10th | Brad Schneider | |
11th | Bill Foster | |
13th | Nikki Budzinski | |
14th | Lauren Underwood | |
17th | Eric Sorensen |
Democrats control all six of the elected statewide offices:
The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the majority and the minority in the United States Senate. They are each elected as majority leader and minority leader by the senators of their party caucuses: the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Senate Republican Conference.
Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun, also sometimes Moseley-Braun, is an American diplomat, politician, and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. Prior to her Senate tenure, Moseley Braun was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 1988 and served as Cook County Recorder of Deeds from 1988 to 1992. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 after defeating Senator Alan J. Dixon in a Democratic primary. Moseley Braun served one term in the Senate and was defeated by Republican Peter Fitzgerald in 1998.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. Its purpose is to elect Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current Chair is Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, who succeeded Nevada's Catherine Cortez Masto after the 2020 Senate elections. DSCC's current executive director is Christie Roberts.
The Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Ohio. Summit County Council President Elizabeth Walters has been the party's chairwoman since January 2021.
The 1998 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 1998, with the 34 seats of Class 3 contested in regular elections. This was seen as an even contest between the Republican Party and Democratic Party. While the Democrats had to defend more seats up for election, Republican attacks on the morality of President Bill Clinton failed to connect with voters and anticipated Republican gains did not materialize. The Republicans picked open seats up in Ohio and Kentucky and narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Carol Moseley Braun, but these were cancelled out by the Democrats' gain of an open seat in Indiana and defeats of Republican Senators Al D'Amato and Lauch Faircloth. The balance of the Senate remained unchanged at 55–45 in favor of the Republicans.
This article covers the history of women in the United States Senate and various milestones achieved by female senators. It includes a list of all women who have served in the Senate, a list of current female senators, and a list of states represented by women in the Senate. The first female U.S. senator, Rebecca Latimer Felton, represented Georgia for a single day in 1922, and the first woman elected to the Senate, Hattie Caraway, was elected from Arkansas in 1932. Since its establishment in 1789, 60 women have served in the upper house of the United States Congress. As of October 3, 2023, there are 25 women serving as U.S. senators out of 100 possible seats. Additionally, Kamala Harris as vice president serves as President of the Senate.
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.
In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party or is denied the Democratic nomination in a caucus or primary election. Independent Democrat is not a political party. Several elected officials, including members of Congress, have identified as independent Democrats.
The Democratic Party of Oregon is the Oregon affiliate of the Democratic Party. The State Central Committee, made up of two delegates elected from each of Oregon's 36 counties and one additional delegate for every 15,000 registered Democrats, is the main authoritative body of the party. The party has 17 special group caucuses which also each have representation on the State Central Committee.
The Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Connecticut. Its chair is Nancy DiNardo.
The Democratic Party of Georgia (DPG) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the two major political parties in the state and is chaired by Nikema Williams.
The Democratic Party of Indiana is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Indiana. The party's chair is Mike Schmuhl.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is headquartered in Albuquerque and led by Chair Jessica Velasquez, Vice Chair Manny Crespin, Secretary Isaac Dakota Casados, and Treasurer Rayellen Smith.
The Democratic Party of Virginia is the Virginia affiliate of the Democratic Party based in Richmond, Virginia.
Vince Demuzio was a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate from January 1975 until his death in April 2004. During his time in the Senate, he represented various portions of southwestern Illinois. At the time of his death, he was the most senior member of the Illinois Senate.
The 1874–75 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1874 and 1875, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1.
The 1884–85 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with the presidential election of 1884. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1884 and 1885, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 3.
Calvin Sutker was an American politician and lawyer. Over his nearly four decades in politics, Sutker served as a Skokie Village Board member, Niles Township Democratic Committeeman, Democratic National Committeeman from Illinois, Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and a Cook County Commissioner.
Frank D. Savickas was an American politician who served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1967 to 1993.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 5, 2002. Primary elections were held on March 19, 2002.