1994 Illinois gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1994 United States gubernatorial elections.

1994 Illinois gubernatorial election
November 8, 1994
Turnout50.77% 3.23 pp
 
Nominee Jim Edgar Dawn Clark Netsch
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Bob Kustra Penny Severns
Popular vote 1,984,318 1,069,850
Percentage 63.87% 34.44%
County results
Edgar:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Netsch:      40–50%
Governor before election

Jim Edgar
Republican

Elected Governor

Jim Edgar
Republican

The 1994 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Edgar won reelection in a landslide. Edgar carried 101 of the state's 102 counties over the Democratic nominee, State Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch, with Netsch only winning Gallatin County by a narrow margin. This was the first time in Illinois that a woman was a major party's nominee for governor, with 2006 being the only other time.

To date, this is the most recent statewide election in which Cook County voted for a Republican candidate, a Republican governor won a second term in Illinois, and the last time any gubernatorial candidate received over 60% of the vote. Clark Netsch's 34% of the vote was the worst performance for a Democratic gubernatorial nominee in almost a century.

Additionally, this is to date the closest a gubernatorial candidate has ever come to winning every single county in the state; Edgar lost Gallatin County by a mere 3 votes, less than 0.10%.[1][2]

Edgar won 70% of whites and 20% of African Americans.[3]

Background

The primaries and general elections coincided with those for Congress, as well as those for other state offices. The election was part of the 1994 Illinois elections.

The 1994 midterm elections saw a strong showing by the Republican Party, which was dubbed the "Republican Revolution".

For the primaries, turnout for the gubernatorial primaries was 29.16%, with 1,794,357 votes cast and turnout for the lieutenant gubernatorial primaries was 23.44% with 1,442,160 votes cast.[4] For the general election, turnout was 50.77%, with 3,106,556 votes cast.[1]

Democratic primaries

Governor

Candidates

Results

Democratic gubernatorial primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dawn Clark Netsch 487,364 44.35
Democratic Roland W. Burris 401,142 36.50
Democratic Richard Phelan 160,576 14.61
Democratic James Elroy Gierach 26,752 2.43
Democratic Sheila A. Jones 23,191 2.11
Total votes 1,099,025 100.00

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

  • Anthony P. Harper
  • Penny Severns, Illinois State Senator
  • Sheila Smith
Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Penny Severns 406,510 45.75
Democratic Sheila Smith 366,760 41.27
Democratic Anthony P. Harper 115,347 12.98
Total votes 888,617 100

Republican primaries

Governor

Candidates

Results

Republican gubernatorial primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Edgar (incumbent) 521,590 75.01
Republican Jack Roeser 173,742 23.89
Total votes 695,332 100.00

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Results

Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Kustra (incumbent) 553,543 100
Total votes 553,543 100

General election

Polling

Source Date Jim
Edgar (R) 		Dawn Clark
Netsch (D)
Chicago Tribune October 30, 1994 60% 25%
Chicago Tribune October 23, 1994 61% 22%

Results

1994 gubernatorial election, Illinois[5][6][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jim Edgar (incumbent) 1,984,318 63.9 +13.1
Democratic Dawn Clark Netsch 1,069,850 34.4 −13.8
Libertarian David L. Kelley 52,388 1.69 +1.69
Write-in 10 0.0 n-a
Majority 914,468 29.5
Turnout 3,106,556 50.77
Republican hold Swing

By county

County Jim Edgar Dawn Clark Netsch David Kelley Write-in Margin Total
# % # % # % # % # %
Adams 15,656 79.90% 3,573 18.23% 366 1.87% 0 0.00% 12,083 61.67% 19,595
Alexander 2,347 68.37% 1,045 30.44% 41 1.19% 0 0.00% 1,302 37.93% 3,433
Bond 3,628 66.08% 1,731 31.53% 131 2.39% 0 0.00% 1,897 34.55% 5,490
Boone 7,128 75.02% 2,081 21.90% 293 3.08% 0 0.00% 5,047 53.12% 9,502
Brown 1,974 77.59% 527 20.72% 43 1.69% 0 0.00% 1,447 56.87% 2,544
Bureau 9,974 70.41% 3,921 27.68% 271 1.19% 0 0.00% 6,053 42.73% 14,166
Calhoun 1,267 59.54% 802 37.69% 59 2.77% 0 0.00% 465 21.85% 2,128
Carroll 4,463 76.47% 1,254 21.49% 119 2.04% 0 0.00% 3,209 54.98% 5,836
Cass 3,205 65.25% 1,632 33.22% 75 1.53% 0 0.00% 1,573 32.03% 4,912
Champaign 30,468 67.02% 14,334 31.53% 662 1.46% 0 0.00% 16,134 35.49% 45,464
Christian 6,880 59.94% 4,411 38.43% 188 1.64% 0 0.00% 2,469 21.51% 11,479
Clark 4,079 71.59% 1,511 26.52% 108 1.90% 0 0.00% 2,568 45.07% 5,698
Clay 3,095 71.17% 1,183 27.20% 71 1.63% 0 0.00% 1,912 43.97% 4,349
Clinton 8,235 70.38% 3,216 27.49% 249 2.13% 0 0.00% 5,019 42.89% 11,700
Coles 11,494 75.40% 3,442 22.58% 309 2.03% 0 0.00% 8,052 52.82% 15,245
Cook 634,353 52.04% 568,737 46.66% 15,854 1.30% 7 0.00% 65,616 5.38% 1,218,951
Crawford 4,978 73.12% 1,733 25.46% 97 1.42% 0 0.00% 3,245 47.66% 6,808
Cumberland 2,909 72.20% 1,027 25.49% 93 2.31% 0 0.00% 1,882 46.71% 4,029
DeKalb 13,354 71.40% 4,942 26.42% 408 2.18% 0 0.00% 8,412 44.98% 18,704
DeWitt 4,218 75.46% 1,294 23.15% 78 1.40% 0 0.00% 2,924 52.31% 5,590
Douglas 4,721 78.41% 1,215 20.18% 85 1.41% 0 0.00% 3,506 58.23% 6,021
DuPage 179,395 78.51% 45,548 19.93% 3,564 1.56% 0 0.00% 133,847 58.58% 228,507
Edgar 4,678 77.40% 1,306 21.61% 60 1.00% 0 0.00% 3,372 48.79% 6,044
Edwards 1,918 70.26% 768 28.13% 44 1.61% 0 0.00% 1,150 42.13% 2,730
Effingham 8,800 75.47% 2,615 22.43% 245 2.10% 0 0.00% 6,185 53.04% 11,660
Fayette 5,112 69.05% 2,128 28.75% 163 2.20% 0 0.00% 2,984 40.30% 7,403
Ford 3,815 80.76% 846 17.91% 63 1.33% 0 0.00% 2,969 62.85% 4,724
Franklin 8,554 60.38% 5,280 37.27% 334 2.36% 0 0.00% 3,274 23.11% 14,168
Fulton 7,490 65.30% 3,737 32.58% 244 2.13% 0 0.00% 3,753 32.72% 11,471
Gallatin 1,534 49.01% 1,537 49.11% 59 1.88% 0 0.00% -3 -0.10% 3,130
Greene 3,457 68.63% 1,462 29.03% 118 2.34% 0 0.00% 1,995 39.61% 5,037
Grundy 8,802 77.37% 2,365 20.79% 210 1.85% 0 0.00% 6,437 56.58% 11,377
Hamilton 2,428 68.45% 1,041 29.35% 78 2.20% 0 0.00% 1,387 39.10% 3,547
Hancock 4,883 75.37% 1,485 22.92% 111 1.71% 0 0.00% 3,398 52.45% 6,479
Hardin 1,839 71.72% 680 26.52% 45 1.76% 0 0.00% 1,159 45.20% 2,564
Henderson 2,336 70.11% 943 28.30% 53 1.59% 0 0.00% 1,393 41.81% 3,332
Henry 11,680 71.56% 4,437 27.18% 205 1.26% 0 0.00% 7,243 44.38% 16,322
Iroquois 9,160 81.43% 1,905 16.93% 184 1.64% 0 0.00% 7,255 64.50% 11,249
Jackson 10,251 64.74% 5,204 32.87% 379 2.39% 0 0.00% 5,047 31.87% 15,834
Jasper 2,357 65.64% 1,162 32.36% 72 2.01% 0 0.00% 1,195 33.28% 3,591
Jefferson 7,840 68.38% 3,414 29.77% 212 1.85% 0 0.00% 4,426 38.61% 11,466
Jersey 4,498 64.27% 2,223 31.76% 278 3.97% 0 0.00% 2,275 32.50% 6,999
Jo Daviess 5,293 71.22% 1,985 26.71% 154 2.07% 0 0.00% 3,308 44.51% 7,432
Johnson 3,119 74.12% 977 23.22% 92 2.19% 0 0.00% 2,142 50.90% 4,208
Kane 56,340 74.80% 17,517 23.26% 1,466 1.95% 0 0.00% 38,823 51.54% 75,323
Kankakee 19,282 71.73% 7,148 26.59% 452 1.68% 0 0.00% 12,134 45.14% 26,882
Kendall 9,769 79.77% 2,207 18.02% 270 2.21% 0 0.00% 7,562 61.75% 12,246
Knox 12,935 75.44% 3,964 23.12% 248 1.45% 0 0.00% 8,971 52.32% 17,147
Lake 96,775 73.46% 32,758 24.86% 2,214 1.68% 0 0.00% 64,017 48.60% 131,747
LaSalle 22,685 68.37% 9,725 29.31% 772 2.33% 0 0.00% 12,960 39.06% 33,182
Lawrence 3,561 66.47% 1,707 31.87% 89 1.66% 0 0.00% 1,854 34.60% 5,357
Lee 8,114 74.96% 2,454 22.67% 257 2.37% 0 0.00% 5,660 52.29% 10,825
Livingston 9,782 80.13% 2,267 18.57% 158 1.29% 0 0.00% 7,515 61.56% 12,207
Logan 7,666 76.63% 2,194 21.93% 144 1.44% 0 0.00% 5,472 54.70% 10,004
Macon 22,714 62.20% 13,273 36.35% 530 1.45% 0 0.00% 9,441 25.85% 36,517
Macoupin 9,957 60.47% 6,105 37.08% 403 2.45% 0 0.00% 3,852 23.39% 16,465
Madison 43,806 62.04% 25,008 35.42% 1,794 2.54% 0 0.00% 18,798 26.62% 70,608
Marion 7,734 64.95% 3,918 32.91% 255 2.14% 0 0.00% 3,816 32.04% 11,907
Marshall 3,538 73.43% 1,180 24.49% 100 2.08% 0 0.00% 2,358 48.94% 4,818
Mason 3,546 69.73% 1,463 28.77% 76 1.49% 0 0.00% 2,083 40.97% 5,085
Massac 3,752 78.44% 958 20.03% 73 1.53% 0 0.00% 2,794 58.41% 4,783
McDonough 6,495 70.94% 2,528 27.61% 133 1.45% 0 0.00% 3,967 53.33% 9,156
McHenry 44,414 76.18% 12,596 21.60% 1,292 2.22% 0 0.00% 31,818 54.58% 58,302
McLean 27,216 77.87% 7,144 20.44% 591 1.69% 0 0.00% 20,072 57.43% 34,951
Menard 3,956 72.80% 1,386 25.51% 92 1.69% 0 0.00% 2,570 47.29% 5,434
Mercer 4,550 71.72% 1,695 26.72% 99 1.56% 0 0.00% 2,855 45.00% 6,344
Monroe 5,587 70.11% 2,154 27.03% 228 2.86% 0 0.00% 3,433 43.08% 7,969
Montgomery 6,648 62.26% 3,793 35.52% 236 2.21% 0 0.00% 2,855 26.74% 10,677
Morgan 9,258 74.00% 3,059 24.45% 193 1.54% 0 0.00% 6,199 49.55% 12,510
Moultrie 3,230 68.06% 1,432 30.17% 84 1.77% 0 0.00% 1,798 37.89% 4,746
Ogle 10,285 78.39% 2,444 18.63% 392 2.99% 0 0.00% 7,841 59.76% 13,121
Peoria 36,461 70.09% 14,612 28.09% 945 1.82% 0 0.00% 21,849 42.00% 52,018
Perry 5,856 66.06% 2,820 31.81% 189 2.13% 0 0.00% 3,036 34.25% 8,865
Piatt 4,589 70.37% 1,825 27.99% 107 1.64% 0 0.00% 2,764 42.38% 6,521
Pike 5,199 73.45% 1,737 24.54% 142 2.01% 0 0.00% 3,462 48.91% 7,078
Pope 1,493 75.14% 440 22.14% 54 2.72% 0 0.00% 1,053 53.00% 1,987
Pulaski 2,035 73.12% 712 25.58% 36 1.29% 0 0.00% 1,323 47.54% 2,783
Putnam 1,792 66.35% 850 31.47% 59 2.18% 0 0.00% 942 34.88% 2,701
Randolph 7,391 60.99% 4,455 36.76% 272 2.24% 0 0.00% 2,936 24.23% 12,118
Richland 4,216 73.78% 1,419 24.83% 79 1.38% 0 0.00% 2,797 48.95% 5,714
Rock Island 26,901 64.37% 14,238 34.07% 651 1.56% 0 0.00% 12,663 30.30% 41,790
Saline 6,168 64.89% 3,121 32.84% 216 2.27% 0 0.00% 3,047 32.05% 9,505
Sangamon 52,673 68.13% 23,424 30.30% 1,207 1.56% 3 0.00% 24,249 37.83% 77,307
Schuyler 2,346 71.29% 886 26.92% 59 1.79% 0 0.00% 1,460 44.37% 3,291
Scott 1,771 75.68% 525 22.44% 44 1.88% 0 0.00% 1,246 53.24% 2,340
Shelby 5,452 68.01% 2,405 30.00% 159 1.98% 0 0.00% 3,047 38.01% 8,016
Stark 1,730 76.25% 505 22.26% 34 1.50% 0 0.00% 1,225 53.99% 2,269
St. Clair 38,601 60.84% 23,644 37.27% 1,197 1.89% 0 0.00% 14,957 23.57% 63,442
Stephenson 10,372 76.50% 2,773 20.45% 413 3.05% 0 0.00% 7,599 56.05% 13,558
Tazewell 30,478 72.88% 10,432 24.95% 907 2.17% 0 0.00% 20,046 47.93% 41,817
Union 4,810 71.92% 1,729 25.85% 149 2.23% 0 0.00% 3,081 46.07% 6,688
Vermilion 16,813 72.90% 5,855 25.39% 396 1.72% 0 0.00% 10,958 47.51% 23,064
Wabash 2,837 68.05% 1,259 30.20% 73 1.75% 0 0.00% 1,578 37.85% 4,169
Warren 4,400 77.41% 1,203 21.16% 81 1.43% 0 0.00% 3,197 56.25% 5,684
Washington 4,206 71.71% 1,517 25.87% 142 2.42% 0 0.00% 2,689 45.84% 5,865
Wayne 4,667 70.08% 1,829 27.46% 164 2.46% 0 0.00% 2,838 42.62% 6,660
White 3,679 61.42% 2,191 36.58% 120 2.00% 0 0.00% 1,488 24.84% 5,990
Whiteside 12,179 69.69% 4,995 28.58% 303 1.74% 0 0.00% 7,184 41.11% 17,477
Will 71,871 73.11% 24,635 25.06% 1,799 1.83% 0 0.00% 47,236 48.05% 98,305
Williamson 13,737 69.44% 5,603 28.32% 443 2.24% 0 0.00% 8,134 41.12% 19,783
Winnebago 49,053 71.40% 17,087 24.87% 2,557 3.72% 0 0.00% 31,966 46.53% 68,697
Woodford 9,282 78.31% 2,388 20.15% 183 1.54% 0 0.00% 6,894 58.16% 11,853
Totals 1,984,318 63.88% 1,069,850 34.44% 52,388 1.69 10 0.00% 914,468 29.44% 3,106,556

References

  1. ^ a b c "State of Illinois official vote cast at the general election ." Illinois State Board of Elections. 1978. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "1994 Gubernatorial General Election Data Graphs - Illinois". US Election Atlas. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  3. ^ "1994 ILLINOIS EXIT POLL RESULTS". CNN. 1998. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e "State of Illinois official vote cast at the primary election held on ..." Illinois State Board of Elections. 1966. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  5. ^ "Vote Totals List". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  6. ^ "1994 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
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