United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2008

The 2008 congressional elections in Illinois were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent the state of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011.

Illinois has nineteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of eleven Democrats and eight Republicans. It became, following the election, twelve Democrats and seven Republicans. District 11 was the only seat which changed party (from open Republican to Democratic), although CQ Politics had forecasted districts 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 18 to be at some risk for the incumbent party.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2008[1]
Party Votes Percentage Seats +/–
Democratic 3,176,203 60.52% 12 +1
Republican 1,961,173 37.37% 7 -1
Independents 110,819 2.11% 0
Totals 5,248,195 100.00% 19

District 1

This district includes part of Cook County. Democratic incumbent Bobby Rush, who has held the seat since 1993, ran against Republican nominee Antoine Members. CQ Politics forecast the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Illinois's 1st congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bobby Rush (inc.) 233,036 85.87
Republican Antoine Members 38,361 14.13
Total votes 271,397 100.00
Democratic hold

District 2

This district includes parts of Cook and Will counties. Democratic nominee Jesse Jackson, Jr., who has held the seat winning a special election in December 1995, ran against Republican nominee Anthony Williams. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Illinois's 2nd congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jesse Jackson, Jr. (inc.) 251,052 89.41
Republican Anthony Williams 29,721 10.59
Write-ins 3 0.00
Total votes 280,776 100.00
Democratic hold

District 3

This district includes part of Cook County. Democratic incumbent Dan Lipinski, who has held the seat since 2005, ran against Republican nominee Michael Hawkins and Green Party nominee Jerome Pohlen. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Illinois's 3rd congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dan Lipinski (inc.) 172,581 73.28
Republican Michael Hawkins 50,336 21.37
Green Jerome Pohlen 12,607 5.35
Total votes 235,524 100.00
Democratic hold

District 4

This district includes part of Cook County. Democratic incumbent Luis Gutierrez, who has held the seat since January 1993, ran against Republican nominee Daniel Cunninghan and Green Party nominee Omar López. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Earlier in 2007, Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado and Chicago aldermen Manny Flores, Ricardo Muñoz, and George Cardenas had announced their intentions to run for the seat in 2008, as Gutierrez had said he planned to retire. However, Gutierrez later changed his mind and announced he would seek re-election in 2008.[2]

Illinois's 4th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Luis Gutierrez (inc.) 112,529 80.60
Republican Daniel Cunninghan 16,024 11.48
Green Omar N. López 11,053 7.92
Total votes 139,606 100.00
Democratic hold

District 5

This district includes part of Cook County. Democratic incumbent Rahm Emanuel, who has held the seat since 2003, ran against Republican nominee Tom Hanson and Green Party nominee Alan Augustson. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Illinois's 5th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rahm Emanuel (inc.) 170,728 73.94
Republican Tom Hanson 50,881 22.04
Green Alan Augustson 9,283 4.02
Total votes 230,892 100.00
Democratic hold

District 6

This district includes parts of DuPage and Cook counties. Freshman Republican incumbent Peter Roskam, who won the then-open seat in a close election in 2006, ran against Democratic nominee Jill Morgenthaler, an Iraq War veteran. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Republican Favored'.

Illinois's 6th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Peter Roskam (inc.) 147,906 57.57
Democratic Jill Morgenthaler 109,007 42.43
Total votes 256,913 100.00
Republican hold

District 7

This district lies entirely within Cook County. Democratic incumbent Danny K. Davis, who has held the seat since 1997, ran against Republican nominee Steve Miller, a United States Navy veteran. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Illinois's 7th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Danny K. Davis (inc.) 235,343 85.02
Republican Steve Miller 41,474 14.98
Total votes 276,817 100.00
Democratic hold

District 8

This district includes parts of Lake, McHenry and Cook counties. Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean, who has held the seat since 2005, ran against Republican nominee Steve Greenberg. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Democrat Favored'.

Illinois's 8th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Melissa Bean (inc.) 179,444 60.72
Republican Steve Greenberg 116,081 39.28
Total votes 295,525 100.00
Democratic hold

District 9

This district includes all of Evanston, Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove, Park Ridge and Norridge, parts of Wilmette, Northfield, Glenview, Golf, Rosemont and Des Plaines, and much of the North Side of Chicago. Democratic incumbent Jan Schakowsky, who has held the seat since 1999, ran against Republican nominee Michael B. Younan and Green Party nominee Morris Shanfield. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Illinois's 9th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jan Schakowsky (inc.) 181,948 74.66
Republican Michael B. Younan 53,593 21.99
Green Morris Shanfield 8,140 3.34
Write-ins 13 0.01
Total votes 243,694 100.00
Democratic hold

District 10

This district includes parts of Lake and Cook counties. Republican incumbent Mark Kirk, who has held the seat since 2001, ran against Democratic nominee Dan Seals, who also ran against Kirk in the 2006 election. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'No Clear Favorite'.

Illinois's 10th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mark Kirk (inc.) 153,082 52.56
Democratic Dan Seals 138,176 47.44
Total votes 291,258 100.00
Republican hold

District 11

This district includes the towns of Joliet, Kankakee, LaSalle, Ottawa and Streator, and all or parts of Will, Kankakee, Grundy, LaSalle, Bureau, Woodford and McLean counties. An open seat, Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson ran against Republican nominee Marty Ozinga, a local businessman, and Green Party nominee Jason Wallace. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Democrat Favored'.

Republican incumbent Jerry Weller, who had held the seat since 1995, decided not to seek re-election, leaving this an open seat. Tim Baldermann, mayor of New Lenox and police chief of Chicago Ridge, won the Republican nomination but withdrew on February 23.[3] Martin Ozinga was chosen to replace Baldermann on April 30.[4]

Illinois's 11th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Debbie Halvorson 185,652 58.40
Republican Marty Ozinga 109,608 34.48
Green Jason Wallace 22,635 7.12
Total votes 317,895 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

District 12

This district is in the southwest part of the state and includes the cities of Alton, Carbondale and East St. Louis. Democratic incumbent Jerry Costello, who has held the seat since August 1988, ran against Republican nominee Tim Richardson and Chairman of the Metro East Green Party Rodger Jennings. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Illinois's 12th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jerry Costello (inc.) 212,891 71.40
Republican Tim Richardson 74,382 24.95
Green Rodger Jennings 10,907 3.66
Write-ins 1 0.01
Total votes 298,181 100.00
Democratic hold

District 13

This district includes parts of the Cook, DuPage and Will counties. Republican incumbent Judy Biggert, who has held the seat since January 1999, ran against Democratic nominee Scott Harper and Green Party nominee Steve Alesch. CQ Politics initially forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican', but changed the forecast to 'Republican Favored' after Harper had raised more money than the 2006 Democratic nominee for this seat by mid-July.[5]

Illinois's 13th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Judy Biggert (inc.) 180,888 53.55
Democratic Scott Harper 147,430 43.65
Green Steve Alesch 9,402 2.78
Write-ins 51 0.02
Total votes 337,771 100.00
Republican hold

District 14

This district includes the cities of Aurora, Elgin, DeKalb and Dixon, and parts of Henry, Whiteside, Lee, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, and DuPage counties. Democratic nominee Bill Foster, who has held the seat since March 2008, won against Republican nominee Jim Oberweis, who also lost to Foster in the special election. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Democratic'.

The district was previously represented by former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert from 1987 to 2007. He resigned in November 2007, and Bill Foster won the special election held on March 8, 2008.

Illinois's 14th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bill Foster (inc.) 185,404 57.75
Republican Jim Oberweis 135,653 42.25
Total votes 321,057 100.00
Democratic hold

District 15

This district includes the cities of Charleston, Urbana, Danville and Champaign, and all or parts of Livingston, Iroquois, Ford, McLean, DeWitt, Champaign, Vermillion, Macon, Piatt, Douglas, Edgar, Moultrie, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Crawford, Lawrence, Wabash, Edwards, White, Saline and Gallatin counties. Republican incumbent Timothy V. Johnson, who has held the seat since January 2001, won against Democratic nominee Steve Cox. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Illinois's 15th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Timothy V. Johnson (inc.) 187,121 64.19
Democratic Steve Cox 104,393 35.81
Total votes 291,514 100.00
Republican hold

District 16

This district includes the cities of Rockford, Crystal Lake, Machesney Park, Belvidere, Freeport and Galena, and all or parts of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb and Whiteside counties. Republican incumbent Donald A. Manzullo, who has held the seat since 1993, won against Democratic nominee Robert G. Abboud and Green Party nominee Scott K. Summers. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Illinois's 16th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Don Manzullo (inc.) 190,039 60.87
Democratic Robert G. Abboud 112,648 36.08
Green Scott Summers 9,533 3.05
Total votes 312,220 100.00
Republican hold

District 17

This district includes the cities of Sterling, Rock Island, Moline, Kewanee, Galesburg, Canton, Macomb, Quincy, Springfield and Decatur, and includes all or parts of Henry, Whiteside, Rock Island, Mercer, Knox, Warren, Henderson, Fulton, McDonough, Hancock, Adams, Pike, Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery, Christian, Sangamon, Macon, Shelby, and Fayette counties. Democratic incumbent Phil Hare, who has held the seat since January 2007, ran unopposed. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Illinois's 17th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Phil Hare (inc.) 220,961 99.77
Write-ins 517 0.23
Total votes 221,478 100.00
Democratic hold

District 18

This district in the central and western part of the state includes the cities of Jacksonville, Peoria and Springfield. Republican nominee Aaron Schock won against Democratic nominee Colleen Callahan and Green nominee Sheldon Schafer. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Republican Favored'.

Republican incumbent Ray LaHood, who had held the seat since 1995, decided to retire, leaving this an open seat.

Illinois's 18th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Aaron Schock 182,589 58.88
Democratic Colleen Callahan 117,642 37.94
Green Sheldon Schafer 9,857 3.18
Total votes 310,088 100.00
Republican hold

District 19

This district in the central part of Southern Illinois includes part of Springfield and the outer St. Louis suburbs. Republican incumbent John Shimkus, who has held the seat since 1997, won against Democratic nominee Daniel Davis and Green Party nominee Troy Dennis. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Illinois's 19th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Shimkus (inc.) 203,434 64.46
Democratic Daniel Davis 105,338 33.38
Green Troy Dennis 6,817 2.16
Total votes 315,589 100.00
Republican hold

See also

United States House of Representatives elections, 2008

References

External links

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