1993–1995
Grace Mary Stern (née Dain;July 10,1925 – May 17,1998) was an American Democratic politician who served in both houses of the Illinois legislature,but was unsuccessful in her 1982 run for Lieutenant Governor,which would have made her the first woman in Illinois history to hold elected statewide office. [1] [2]
Born in Holyoke,Massachusetts,Stern attended Wellesley College. She married Herbert (Hub) Stern and helped raise ten children:a daughter,Ann Dain;three sons,Peter Suber,Tom Suber,and Jack Suber;a stepdaughter,Gwen Stern;two stepsons,Bob Stern and Hub Stern III;and three foster children,Joann Shimizu Sweet,Mark Shimizu,and Leonard Gowers. [3]
She raised her family in Highland Park,Illinois,and began her political career in 1966 as assistant township supervisor for Deerfield Township,Illinois. With a campaign slogan "Not one of the boys",Stern was elected to the Lake County,Illinois Board,serving from 1967-70. In 1970,she became the first Democrat to win election to countywide office in Lake County since the American Civil War,and served as the Lake County clerk from 1970 to 1982.
Stern became the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1982,but she and the party's gubernatorial nominee,Adlai Stevenson III,lost narrowly (by 5,074 votes statewide,or 0.14 percent of the vote) to incumbent Republican Governor James R. Thompson and his running mate (later disgraced Governor) George Ryan. [4]
Stern continued to be known for her wit,charm and dedication to public service as she served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1985 to 1993. Mrs. Stern also became known for her support of women's issues,equal rights,gun control,voter registration,the disadvantaged and the mentally ill. In 1992 Stern narrowly defeated Republican Roger Keats based on winning 77% of the Lake County votes in the two-county,29th senatorial district [5] and served in the Illinois State Senate from 1993 until 1995. Knowing that she was a prime target of North Shore Republicans hoping to regain the seat and control of the Illinois Senate,Stern sometimes even taped a target to her back. [6] In 1994,a poor election year for Democrats,Stern narrowly lost her campaign for re-election to Republican Kathy Parker. [7] [8]
Stern died at her Highland Park home after a two year battle with brain cancer. [9] [10] [11] She was survived by her children and ten grandchildren. Among politicians of both parties attending her funeral were her former running-mate Adlai Stevenson III,fellow Democrat Dawn Clark Netsch (who in 1990 won election as Illinois Comptroller,becoming the first woman in Illinois history to win a statewide elected office),and Republicans Kathy Parker and current Lake County clerk Willard Helander. Her papers are held in the archives of the University of Illinois at Chicago. [12] As noted by the Illinois General Assembly in their memorial resolution,Stern received numerous humanitarian awards in her lifetime,and a scholarship was established in her memory at Roosevelt University. [13]
Adlai Ewing Stevenson was an American politician who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Grover Cleveland. A member of the Democratic Party,Stevenson served as a U.S. Representative for Illinois in the late 1870s and early 1880s. He was the founder of the Stevenson political family.
Adlai Ewing Stevenson III was an American attorney and politician from Illinois. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as a member of the United States Senate from 1970 to 1981. A member of the prominent Stevenson family,he also served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Treasurer. He unsuccessfully ran for governor of Illinois in 1982 and 1986. He had been awarded Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure with gold and silver stars and was an honorary Professor of Renmin University of China.
Judy Baar Topinka was an American politician and member of the Republican Party from the U.S. State of Illinois.
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.
The 2006 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 7,2006. Incumbent Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich won re-election to a second four-year term scheduled to have ended on January 10,2011. However,Blagojevich did not complete his term,as he was impeached and removed from office in 2009. This was the first election since 1964 that a Democrat was re-elected governor.
Michael Joseph Howlett Sr. was an American politician who served as the 24th Illinois Auditor of Public Accounts and 33rd Illinois Secretary of State. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Illinois in the 1976 Illinois gubernatorial election.
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The Illinois Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Illinois founded on May 29,1856. It is run by the Illinois Republican State Central Committee,which consists of 17 members,one representing each of the state's congressional districts. Once the dominant party in Illinois,the state GOP has become a minority party within the last few decades,holding little power in the state. The current chairman is Kathy Salvi,who has served since 2024.
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The 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 6,2018,to elect the governor of Illinois,concurrently with the 2018 Illinois general election and other midterm elections. Incumbent Republican governor Bruce Rauner ran for re-election to a second term in office,but was defeated by Democratic nominee J. B. Pritzker. This was one of eight Republican-held governorships up for election in a state that Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election.
Kathleen ("Kathy") Parker is a former Republican member of the Illinois Senate,who represented the 29th District from 1995 to 2003. The 29th district has a high percentage of independent voters and contains areas in Lake and Cook Counties.
Aurelia Marie Pucinski is a judge on the Illinois Appellate Court for the First District. She previously served as a trial judge and clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Her second term expires in 2030.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday,November 3,1998. Primary elections were held on March 17,1998.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday,November 8,1994. Primaries were held on March 15,1994.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday,November 4,1986.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday,November 2,1982.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday,November 4,1952.
The 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022,to elect the governor of Illinois,concurrently with the 2022 Illinois general election. Gubernatorial candidates ran on tickets with candidates for lieutenant governor. The incumbent governor and lieutenant governor,first-term Democrats JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton,sought re-election together against Republican nominees Illinois State Senator Darren Bailey and his running mate Stephanie Trussell.