The 1994 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Edgar won reelection in the greatest landslide in Illinois history, excepting the elections of 1818 and 1848.
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| Turnout | 50.77%  3.23 pp | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Edgar: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Netsch: 40–50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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. To date, this is the most recent statewide election in which Cook County voted for the Republican candidate and the most recent election in which a Republican governor won a second term in Illinois. 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.
This was the last Governor election in which any candidate received over 60% of the vote.
Election information
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".
Turnout
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.[1] For the general election, turnout was 50.77%, with 3,106,556 votes cast.[2]
Democratic primaries
Governor
Candidates
- Roland Burris, Illinois Attorney General
- James Elroy Gierach
- Sheila A. Jones, perennial candidate
- Dawn Clark Netsch, Illinois Comptroller
- Richard Phelan, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
Results
| 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
| 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
- Jim Edgar, incumbent governor
- Jack Roeser, businessman
Results
| 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
- Bob Kustra, incumbent lieutenant governor
Results
| 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
| 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 | |
| N/A | write-ins | 10 | 0.0 | n-a | |
| Majority | 914,468 | 29.5 | |||
| Turnout | 3,106,556 | 50.77 | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||