Illinois' 15th Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
March 15, 2016 |
John Shimkus  |
John Shimkus |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 15th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent John Shimkus (R) was unopposed in the general election on November 8, 2016. Shimkus defeated Kyle McCarter in the Republican primary on March 15, 2016.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Illinois uses an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party, but they do have to choose, publicly, which party's ballot they will vote on at the primary election.[6][7]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was John Shimkus (R), who was first elected in 2002.
Illinois' 15th Congressional District is located in eastern Illinois. It includes Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Moultrie, Pope, Richland, Saline, Shelby, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, and White counties. Portions of Bond, Champaign, Ford, and Madison counties also lie within the district.[8]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  John Shimkus Incumbent |
100% | 274,554 | |
| Total Votes | 274,554 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
John Shimkus Incumbent |
60.4% | 76,547 | ||
| Kyle McCarter | 39.6% | 50,245 | ||
| Total Votes | 126,792 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections |
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Candidates
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General election candidates: John Shimkus  |
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Primary candidates:[9] |
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Democratic |
Republican Kyle McCarter - State sen.[10] |
Endorsements
John Shimkus
Kyle McCarter
- The Club for Growth - "While Kyle McCarter would bring a fresh breath of fiscal conservatism to Washington, his opponent, John Shimkus, is the epitome of what’s wrong with Congress."[12]
Media
John Shimkus
Supporting
The American Chemistry Council spent roughly $290,000 on an ad praising Shimkus. American Action Network spent close to $200,000 on an ad supporting Shimkus in March 2016,
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Opposing
The Club for Growth spent roughly $275,000 on the following ad opposing Shimkus on February 11, 2016.
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District history
2014
The 15th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. John Shimkus (R) defeated Eric Thorsland (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Shimkus Incumbent |
74.9% | 166,274 | |
| Democratic | Eric Thorsland | 25.1% | 55,652 | |
| Total Votes | 221,926 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections Official Results | ||||
2012
The 15th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. John Shimkus (R) won the election in the district.[13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Shimkus Incumbent |
68.6% | 205,775 | |
| Democratic | Angela Michael | 31.4% | 94,162 | |
| Total Votes | 299,937 | |||
| Source: Illinois Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Illinois elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Illinois in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| November 30, 2015 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for established party candidates | |
| January 14, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates for the primary election | |
| January 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | December quarterly report due | |
| March 15, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| April 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | March quarterly report due | |
| June 27, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for new political party candidates and independent candidates | |
| July 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | June quarterly report due | |
| September 8, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates for the general election | |
| October 17, 2016 | Campaign finance | September quarterly report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| January 17, 2017 | Campaign finance | December quarterly report due | |
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2016," accessed August 7, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Illinois Primary Results," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Compiled Statutes 10 ILCS 5/7-41," accessed August 12, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 12, 2024
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ 97.9 XFM, "McCarter Announces for Congress," October 7, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Chamber of Commerce hits the airwaves in Alabama," February 18, 2016
- ↑ Roll Call, "Club for Growth Makes Shimkus Second GOP Target," January 6, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map," accessed August 15, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
