This was the first election that the 1970 Constitution of Illinois' change took effect that all statewide executive offices would be elected in national midterm years.
1978 was a midterm election year in the United States.
This was the first election that the 1970 Constitution of Illinois' change took effect that all statewide executive offices would be elected in national midterm years.[3] To accommodate this, in 1976, all statewide executive offices that were up for election were elected to two-year terms that would expire following the 1978 elections.
Turnout[]
Turnout in the primary election was 25.14%, with a total of 1,482,034 ballots cast. 911,290 Democratic and 570,744 Republican primary ballots were cast.[2]
Turnout during the general election was 57.55%, with 3,342,985 ballots cast.[1]
Federal elections[]
United States Senate[]
Main article: 1978 United States Senate election in Illinois
See also: 1978 United States Senate elections
Incumbent Republican Charles H. Percy was reelected to a third term.
United States House[]
Main article: 1978 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois
See also: 1978 United States House of Representatives elections
All 24 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1978. The Republican Party flipped one seat, leaving the composition of Illinois' House delegation to consist of 13 Republicans and 11 democrats.
State elections[]
Governor and Lieutenant Governor[]
Main article: 1978 Illinois gubernatorial election
Incumbent ComptrollerMichael Bakalis, a Democrat, did not seek a second term, instead opting to run for governor. Democrat Roland Burris was elected to succeed him. In winning the election, Burris became the first American American to be elected to statewide office in Illinois.[7]
Democratic primary[]
With more than 64% of the vote, Roland Burris defeated State Representative Richard Luft in the Democratic primary.[1][8]
Burris was a Chicago attorney that had formerly served as director of the Department of General Services under Governor Dan Walker.[8] Luft had been the early favorite for the party to slate, but at the last minute was beaten out by Burris when the party finally slated candidates.[8] It was reported that black Chicago Democrats had pressured the party to slate a black candidate for statewide office.[8]
During the campaign, Burris and Luft argued over Burris' record as director of the Department of General Services.[8]
With more than 52% of the vote, John W. Castle, director of the Department of Local Government Affairs, defeated W. Robert Blair, former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, in the Republican primary.[1][8] Governor James R. Thompson, who had convinced Castle to abandon his declared plans to run for treasurer and instead run for comptroller, publicly endorsed Castle.[8] Blair criticized Castle for this endorsement, alleging that he would not be able to operate the comptroller's office independently of the governor, while Castle denied that his decisions would be influenced by his political ties to Thompson.[8]
Incumbent Treasurer was Donald R. Smith, a Republican who had been appointed in 1977, did not seek reelection. Democrat Jerome Cosentino was elected to succeed him in office. This election made Cosentino the first Italian-American to be elected to statewide office in Illinois.[9]
Democratic primary[]
In the Democratic primary, the party establishment had slated Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago commissioner Jerome Cosentino as its preferred candidate.[8] He won the primary with 60% of the vote, defeating Nina T. Shepherd, a trustee of the University of Illinois.[8] Shepherd received the endorsement of Independent Voter of Illinois in the primary.[8] She ran largely due to the failure of the party of slate a woman for any statewide office.[8] The primary was not overly heated.[8] One issue that haunted Cosentino was that his trucking firm was under investigation by the Interstate Commerce Commission for possible violations of the Interstate Commerce Act.[8] While the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, it was not completed until after the primary was over.[8]
James M. Skelton won a narrow 52% victory over Bradley M. Glass in the Republican primary.[8] With Skelton being a downstate politician, and Glass being an upstate politician, the race had the dynamics of "downstate vs. upstate".[8] John W. Castle had originally announced that he would run for the Republican nomination for Treasurer, before being convinced by Governor James R. Thompson to instead run for comptroller.[8]
One-third of the seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1982. Democrats retained control of the chamber.
State House of Representatives[]
All of the seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1978. Democrats retained control of the chamber.
Trustees of University of Illinois[]
1978 Trustees of University of Illinois election
← 1976
November 7, 1978
1980 →
An election was held for three of nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois system.
The election saw the reelection incumbent second-term Republican Ralph Crane Hahn and the election of new members, Democrats Edmund Roche Donoghue and Paul Stone.[1][10]
Incumbent Republican Park Livingston and incumbent first-term Republican Jane Hayes Rader lost reelection.[1][10]
Trustees of the University of Illinois election[1][10]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
Paul Stone
1,409,086
17.04
Democratic
Edmund R. Donoghue
1,348,011
16.30
Republican
Ralph C. Hahn (incumbent)
1,324,857
16.02
Democratic
Robert J. "Bob" Webb
1,302,741
15.75
Republican
Jane Hayes Rader (incumbent)
1,285,296
15.54
Republican
Park Livingston (incumbent)
1,281,284
15.49
U.S. Labor
Suzanne Rose
53,630
0.65
Socialist Workers
Jo-Ann Della-Guistina
47,191
0.57
Libertarian
William Mitchell
44,303
0.54
Libertarian
James McCawley
37,298
0.45
Libertarian
John Adrian
34,514
0.42
Socialist Workers
John Pottinger
29,480
0.36
U.S. Labor
Mitchell F. Hirsch
28,220
0.34
U.S. Labor
Maureen Ravenscroft
25,424
0.31
Socialist Workers
Lee Kail
20,071
0.24
Write-in
Others
15
0.00
Total votes
8,271,421
100
Judicial elections[]
Multiple judicial positions were up for election in 1978.[1]
Ballot measures[]
Illinois voters voted on a two legislatively referred constitutional amendment ballot measures in 1978.[11] In order to be approved, the measures required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the measure or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.[11]
Personal Property Tax Amendment[]
The Personal Property Tax Amendment (also known as "Amendment 1") was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which would have amended Article IX, Section 5 of the Constitution of Illinois to eliminate the provision that required the legislature to abolish the personal property tax by January 1, 1979.[11][12] It failed to meet either threshold to amend the constitution.[11]
Exempt Veterans' Organizations from Property Taxes Amendment[]
The Exempt Veterans' Organizations from Property Taxes Amendment (also known as "Property Tax Exemption for Veterans' Organizations Amendment" and "Amendment 2") was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which would have amended Article IX, Section 6 of the Constitution of Illinois to exempt veterans' associations from paying property taxes on their meeting halls.[11][13] It failed to meet either threshold to amend the constitution.[11]
Exempt Veterans' Organizations from Property Taxes Amendment[1][11][13]
Federal government
State government
Ballot measures and referendums
Chicago
Elections in Illinois