Elections were held for the offices of Assessor, Clerk, Sheriff, State's Attorney, Superintendent of Education Service Region, Treasurer, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, all 17 seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, both seats of the Cook County Board of Appeals, 3 seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.
1986 was a midterm election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal (Senate and House) and those for state elections.
The general election saw turnout of 55.95%, with 1,476,370 ballots cast.[1][3] Chicago saw 841,085 ballots cast, and suburban Cook County saw 635,2865 ballots cast.[1]
Straight-ticket voting[]
Ballots had a straight-ticket voting option in 1986.[1]
In the 1986 Cook County Clerk election, incumbent third-term clerk Stanley Kusper, a Democrat, was reelected.
Primaries[]
Democratic[]
Incumbent Stanley Kusper defeated two challengers to win renomination.
The more successful of Kusper's two challengers was Jeanne Quinn, who four years earlier had become the first Democrat to be elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners from suburban Cook County in half a century. Instead of seeking reelection, she instead opted to launch a challenge to Kusper.[1][5] Kusper's other challenger was 28-year-old millionaire businessman Patrick M. Finley.[6]
In the 1986 Cook County Sheriff election, incumbent fourth-term sheriff Richard Elrod, a Democrat, was defeated by Republican James E. O'Grady.
O'Grady became the first Republican elected to a countywide executive office in Cook County since Bernard Carey was elected to his final term as Cook County State's Attorney in 1976.[8]
O'Grady won the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune for the general election.[9]
O'Grady's victory came from winning the county's suburbs by a 2-1 margin. He also performed well in some of the ethnically white wards of Chicago, being able to cary 14 of the city's 50 wards.[10]
In the 1986 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election, incumbent president George Dunne, a Democrat that had held the office since 1969, was reelected.
Primaries[]
Democratic[]
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary[2]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
George W. Dunne
435,063
100
Total votes
435,063
100
Republican[]
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Republican primary[2]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Joseph D. Mathewson
63,625
100
Total votes
63,625
100
General election[]
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election[1]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
George W. Dunne
808,126
60.61
Republican
Joseph D. Mathewson
525,288
39.39
Total votes
1,333,414
100
Cook County Board of Commissioners[]
1986 Cook County Board of Commissioners election
← 1982
November 4, 1986
1990 →
All 17 seats on the Cook County Board of Commissioners 9 seats needed for a majority
First party
Second party
Party
Democratic
Republican
Seats before
11
6
Seats won
10
7
Seat change
1
1
The 1986 Cook County Board of Commissioners election saw all seventeen seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners up for election to four-year terms in two sets of elections (ten elected from an election held in the city of Chicago and seven elected from and election held in suburban Cook County).
Democrats lost a seat, and Republicans, conversely, gained a seat.
City of Chicago[]
Ten seats were elected from the City of Chicago.
Primaries[]
Democratic[]
Cook County Board of Commissioners Chicago Democratic primary[2]
Republican nominee Bernard Carey was replaced on the ballot by Robert P. Gooley, as Carey opted to instead run for Illinois Attorney General, replacing James T. Ryan as the Republican nominee for that election.[15]
Cook County Board of Commissioners suburban Cook County election[1][14]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Mary M. McDonald (incumbent)
339,214
9.08
Republican
Joseph D. Mathewson
336,097
9.00
Republican
Harold L. Tyrrell (incumbent)
317,481
8.50
Republican
Carl R. Hansen (incumbent)
314,145
8.41
Republican
(incumbent)
310,800
8.32
Republican
(incumbent)
303,068
8.11
Republican
Robert P. Gooley
269,438
7.21
Democratic
Joan P. Murphy
262,699
7.03
Democratic
Janice D. "Jan" Schakowsky
239,517
6.41
Democratic
John J. Lattner
229,352
6.14
Democratic
Kevin J. Conlon
216,394
5.79
Democratic
Andrew "Andy" Przybylo
209,503
5.61
Democratic
John D. Rita
198,403
5.31
Democratic
Renee H. Thaler
189,344
5.07
Cook County Board of Appeals[]
1986 Cook County Board of Appeals election
← 1982
November 4, 1986
1988 (special) →
2 of 2 seats on the Cook County Board of Review
First party
Second party
Party
Democratic
Republican
Seats before
2
0
Seats after
2
0
Seat change
In the 1986 Cook County Board of Appeals election, both seats on the board were up for election. The election was an at-large election.
One incumbent Democrat, Pat Quinn, did not seek reelection, instead running for Illinois Treasurer. The other incumbent Democrat, Harry H. Semrow, sought reelection.
Primaries[]
Democratic[]
Cook County Board of Appeals Democratic primary[2]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
Wilson Frost
331,593
41.44
Democratic
Harry H. Semrow (incumbent)
249,728
31.21
Democratic
John W. McCaffrey
218,849
27.35
Republican[]
Cook County Board of Appeals Republican primary[2]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Kenneth R. Hurst
73,459
50.48
Republican
Ronald M. Hamelberg
72,055
49.52
General election[]
Cook County Board of Appeals Democratic primary[2]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
Wilson Frost
796,663
31.68
Democratic
Harry H. Semrow (incumbent)
756,164
30.07
Republican
Kenneth R. Hurst
491,491
19.55
Republican
Ronald M. Hamelberg
470,051
18.69
Water Reclamation District Board[]
1986 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election
← 1984
November 4, 1986
1988 →
3 of 9 seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
In the 1986 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, three of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election in an at-large election.[1] All three Democratic nominees won.[1]
Judicial elections[]
Partisan elections were held for judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County, due to vacancies. Other judgeships had retention elections.[1]
Other elections[]
Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect both the Democratic and Republican committeemen for the suburban townships.[2]