Illinois gubernatorial election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The Illinois gubernatorial election of 2006 occurred on November 7, 2006. The Governor of Illinois
, Democrat Rod Blagojevich
, won re-election for a four-year term scheduled to have ended on January 10, 2011. However, Blagojevich was impeached in 2009. Many observers expected the race to be close, especially considering the polling
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=8eca95c7-104b-43c0-8ca5-20048b49913a, which has shown Governor Blagojevich had a high disapproval rating. However, the Republicans fared poorly in elections since 2002 due to scandals involving prior Governor George Ryan
, as well as changing demographics in the state as a whole (see blue state).
. The Republican primary was deeply divisive; her tenure as Party Chairman destroyed her support from the conservative wing of her party, and it was feared that her pro-choice
and positive gay rights positions would be detrimental to her standing with the same conservatives. In December she announced that she would join forces with DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett
as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
In February 2006, the candidates for the Republican nomination for Illinois Governor began running their first TV ads for the March statewide primary election. Rival candidate Ron Gidwitz's advertisements, attacking Topinka, were rebuked in the same week by the Illinois Republican Party: "In an unprecedented action, the Illinois Republican Party has officially rebuked the Gidwitz campaign for this ad because the Party found that the ad violates the Party's "Code of Conduct," which was enacted to police proper conduct among Republican candidates."
Later in February, candidate Jim Oberweis
, another rival for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination, started a series of attack ads for television markets, against Topinka, that were even more widely criticized, mostly for using "fake" headlines on the images of actual Illinois newspapers. These ads, like Gidwitz's ads, also came under review by the Illinois Republican Party. Because of the controversy generated, several television stations withdrew Oberweis's ads.
became an established political party statewide, according to Illinois state election law, when Rich Whitney
received more than 5% of the total vote for Governor. This status provides the party with several new advantages, such as lower signature requirements for ballot access, primary elections, free access to additional voter data, the ability to elect precinct committeemen, run a partial slate of candidates at any jurisdictional level, and slate candidates without petitioning. The only other statewide established political parties are the Democratic
and Republican
parties. It is rare for a new political party to become established statewide in Illinois, the last to do so being the Solidarity Party
in 1986 and the Progressive Party before that.
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
, Democrat Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
, won re-election for a four-year term scheduled to have ended on January 10, 2011. However, Blagojevich was impeached in 2009. Many observers expected the race to be close, especially considering the polling
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=8eca95c7-104b-43c0-8ca5-20048b49913a, which has shown Governor Blagojevich had a high disapproval rating. However, the Republicans fared poorly in elections since 2002 due to scandals involving prior Governor George Ryan
George Ryan
George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...
, as well as changing demographics in the state as a whole (see blue state).
Candidates
- Judy Baar TopinkaJudy Baar TopinkaJudy Baar Topinka is the Illinois State Comptroller and former Illinois State Treasurer, having served as Treasurer from 1995 to 2007, and former chairwoman of the Illinois Republican Party. She was the first woman to become state treasurer, first to be elected to three consecutive terms and the...
, Illinois State TreasurerIllinois State TreasurerThe Treasurer of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. The office was created by the Constitution of Illinois.-Current occupant and duties:, the Treasurer of Illinois is Dan Rutherford, a member of the Republican Party... - Jim Oberweis, owner of Oberweis DairyOberweis DairyOberweis Dairy, headquartered in North Aurora, Illinois, is the parent company of several dairy-related operations in the midwest region of the United States...
- Bill BradyBill Brady (politician)William E. "Bill" Brady, Jr. is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 44th Legislative District since his appointment in May 2002. He previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 88th District from 1993 to 2000.-Early life, education and...
, Illinois State Senator - Rod Gitwitz, businessman
- Andy Martin, perennial candidate
Campaign
On November 7, 2005, Topinka announced that she would not seek re-election as state treasurer — instead, she entered the gubernatorial primary, hoping to challenge Democratic Governor Rod BlagojevichRod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
. The Republican primary was deeply divisive; her tenure as Party Chairman destroyed her support from the conservative wing of her party, and it was feared that her pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
and positive gay rights positions would be detrimental to her standing with the same conservatives. In December she announced that she would join forces with DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett
Joe Birkett
Joseph E. Birkett is the DuPage County State’s Attorney and former Republican nominee for Illinois Lieutenant Governor with running-mate Judy Baar Topinka. Birkett has been State’s Attorney since October 1, 1996 when he was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Anthony Peccarelli...
as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
In February 2006, the candidates for the Republican nomination for Illinois Governor began running their first TV ads for the March statewide primary election. Rival candidate Ron Gidwitz's advertisements, attacking Topinka, were rebuked in the same week by the Illinois Republican Party: "In an unprecedented action, the Illinois Republican Party has officially rebuked the Gidwitz campaign for this ad because the Party found that the ad violates the Party's "Code of Conduct," which was enacted to police proper conduct among Republican candidates."
Later in February, candidate Jim Oberweis
James D. Oberweis
James D. "Jim" Oberweis is an American businessman and investment manager. He is most notable as the owner of Oberweis Dairy, in North Aurora . Oberweis has been a candidate for Governor of Illinois, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Representative.-Education:He attended the University of Illinois, where he...
, another rival for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination, started a series of attack ads for television markets, against Topinka, that were even more widely criticized, mostly for using "fake" headlines on the images of actual Illinois newspapers. These ads, like Gidwitz's ads, also came under review by the Illinois Republican Party. Because of the controversy generated, several television stations withdrew Oberweis's ads.
Results
Candidates
- Rod BlagojevichRod BlagojevichRod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
, incumbent Governor of IllinoisGovernor of IllinoisThe Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state.... - Edwin EisendrathEdwin EisendrathEdwin Eisendrath served as the alderman of the 43rd ward of Chicago, serving the Lincoln Park area. He attended Harvard University and received a MA from National Louis University. In October 1993, he resigned to become the administrator for the Region V office of the Department of Housing and...
, former Chicago City CouncilChicago City CouncilThe Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 aldermen elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms...
Alderman, former HUDUnited States Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentThe United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
official
Results
On ballot
- Rod BlagojevichRod BlagojevichRod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
(Democratic Party), incumbent Governor of IllinoisGovernor of IllinoisThe Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state.... - Judy Baar TopinkaJudy Baar TopinkaJudy Baar Topinka is the Illinois State Comptroller and former Illinois State Treasurer, having served as Treasurer from 1995 to 2007, and former chairwoman of the Illinois Republican Party. She was the first woman to become state treasurer, first to be elected to three consecutive terms and the...
(Republican Party), Illinois State TreasurerIllinois State TreasurerThe Treasurer of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. The office was created by the Constitution of Illinois.-Current occupant and duties:, the Treasurer of Illinois is Dan Rutherford, a member of the Republican Party... - Rich WhitneyRich WhitneyRich Whitney is an Illinois politician and civil rights attorney who was the Illinois Green Party's nominee for Governor of Illinois in the elections of 2006 and 2010. During the 2006 campaign Whitney received endorsements from several newspapers, including the Rockford Register Star, Southwest...
(Green Party), civil rights attorney from Carbondale, IllinoisCarbondale, IllinoisCarbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
Write-ins
- Marvin Koch, Chicago-area property manager and naval reservistUnited States Navy ReserveThe United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
. - Mark McCoyMark McCoyMark McCoy is a vocalist for several punk rock, black metal, powerviolence and experimental bands, some of which include Charles Bronson, Das Oath, Holy Molar, and most recently Failures. He also recorded a spoken-word comedy Split 7" with Mark Telfian of Limp Wrist...
(Libertarian PartyLibertarian Party (United States)The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
), legal Scholar and Rights Defender - ngel Rivera, lung transplant procurement coordinator at the University of Chicago Medical Center
- Randy StufflebeamRandy StufflebeamRandall C. Stufflebeam was a write-in candidate in the 2006 Illinois gubernatorial election against Democratic incumbent Rod Blagojevich Republican Judy Baar Topinka, and Green Rich Whitney. His running mate was Randy White. He is also the chairman of Illinois' Constitution Party and is a former...
, Illinois Constitution PartyConstitution Party (United States)The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
chairman, USMCUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
veteran and church activist - Mike Shorten
Polling
| Source | Date | Blagojevich (D) | Topinka (R) | Whitney (G) | Remainder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | November 2, 2006 | 45% | 37% | 14% | 4% |
| Survey USA | October 23, 2006 | 44% | 34% | 14% | 8% |
| Rasmussen | October 19, 2006 | 44% | 36% | 9% | 11% |
| Zogby/WSJ | October 16, 2006 | 47.1% | 33.2% | 11.3% | 8.4% |
| Glengariff Group | October 15, 2006 | 39% | 30% | 9% | 22% |
| Tribune/WGN-TV | October 11, 2006 | 43% | 29% | 9% | 19% |
| Survey USA | September 20, 2006 | 45% | 39% | 7% | 9% |
| Rasmussen | September 13, 2006 | 48% | 36% | Omitted | 16% |
| Sun-Times/NBC5 | September 12, 2006 | 56% | 26% | 3% | 15% |
| Tribune/WGN-TV | September 11, 2006 | 45% | 33% | 6% | 16% |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 11, 2006 | 46.5% | 33.6% | Omitted | 19.9% |
| Research 2000 | August 31, 2006 | 47% | 39% | 2% | 12% |
| Zogby/WSJ | August 28, 2006 | 44.8% | 37.6% | Omitted | 17.6% |
| Rasmussen | August 10, 2006 | 45% | 37% | Omitted | 18% |
| Survey USA | July 25, 2006 | 45% | 34% | Omitted | 21% |
| Zogby/WSJ | July 24, 2006 | 44.4% | 36.4% | Omitted | 19.2% |
| Rasmussen | July 13, 2006 | 45% | 34% | Omitted | 21% |
| Zogby/WSJ | June 21, 2006 | 41.1% | 37.5% | Omitted | 21.4% |
| Glengariff Group | June 1–3, 2006 | 41% | 34% | 25% | |
| Survey USA | May 23, 2006 | 43% | 37% | Omitted | 20% |
| Rasmussen | April 24, 2006 | 38% | 44% | Omitted | 18% |
| Rasmussen | March 31, 2006 | 41% | 43% | Omitted | 16% |
| Rasmussen | February 25, 2006 | 42% | 36% | Omitted | 22% |
| Rasmussen | February 7, 2006 | 37% | 48% | Omitted | 15% |
| Research 2000 | January 22, 2006 | 45% | 37% | 18% | |
Results
Blagojevich was declared the winner by 10:00 p.m. A factor of his 10-point victory over Topinka was her just winning in rural counties, by slim margins.Green Party Establishment
The Green PartyIllinois Green Party
The Illinois Green Party is a statewide political party in Illinois.The party is affiliated with the Green Party of the United States. Its stated mission and purpose are to advance the Ten Key Values of the Green Party in Illinois through political means and to support individual members and the...
became an established political party statewide, according to Illinois state election law, when Rich Whitney
Rich Whitney
Rich Whitney is an Illinois politician and civil rights attorney who was the Illinois Green Party's nominee for Governor of Illinois in the elections of 2006 and 2010. During the 2006 campaign Whitney received endorsements from several newspapers, including the Rockford Register Star, Southwest...
received more than 5% of the total vote for Governor. This status provides the party with several new advantages, such as lower signature requirements for ballot access, primary elections, free access to additional voter data, the ability to elect precinct committeemen, run a partial slate of candidates at any jurisdictional level, and slate candidates without petitioning. The only other statewide established political parties are the Democratic
Democratic Party of Illinois
The Democratic Party of Illinois is a political party and affiliate of the United States Democratic Party in Illinois. It is the oldest still-existing state party in Illinois and, along with the Green and Republican Parties, one of just three legally established parties in the state.-History:The...
and Republican
Illinois Republican Party
The Illinois Republican Party is the state-level affiliate of the Republican Party in Illinois. Since August 20, 2009, it has been chaired by Pat Brady...
parties. It is rare for a new political party to become established statewide in Illinois, the last to do so being the Solidarity Party
Solidarity Party
The Solidarity Party was an American political party in the state of Illinois. It was named after Lech Wałęsa's Solidarity movement in Poland, which was widely-admired in Illinois at the time .The party was founded in 1986 by Senator Adlai Stevenson III in reaction to the Democratic Party's...
in 1986 and the Progressive Party before that.
See also
- 2006 Election for statewide offices in the State of Illinois
- U.S. gubernatorial elections, 2006
- State of IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
- Governors of Illinois
- Electoral history of Rod Blagojevich