Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Illinois State Senate elections, 2024
|
2026 →
← 2022
|
|
| 2024 Illinois Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | March 19, 2024 |
| General | November 5, 2024 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2022・2020・2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008 |
| 2024 Elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose a chamber below: | |
Elections for the Illinois State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was March 19, 2024. The filing deadline was December 4, 2023.
In the 2024 election, the partisan breakdown did not change. Democrats maintained their majority of 40-19.
| Illinois State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2024 | After November 6, 2024 | |
| Democratic Party | 40 | 40 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | 18 | |
| Vacancy | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 59 | 59 | |
Following the election, Democrats maintained a 40-19 veto-proof majority.
The Illinois State Senate was one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Illinois State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2024 | After November 6, 2024 | |
| Democratic Party | 40 | 40 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | 18 | |
| Vacancy | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 59 | 59 | |
Candidates
General election
Illinois State Senate general election 2024 |
|||
|
|||
| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
Did not make the ballot: |
|
|
| District 4 |
|
||
| District 7 |
|
|
|
| District 10 |
|
|
|
| District 13 |
|
Did not make the ballot: |
|
| District 16 |
|
|
|
| District 19 |
|
|
|
| District 22 |
|
|
|
| District 25 |
|
|
|
| District 28 |
|
|
|
| District 31 |
|
|
|
| District 34 |
|
|
|
| District 37 |
|
||
| District 40 |
|
|
|
| District 43 |
|
|
|
| District 46 |
|
|
|
| District 49 |
|
||
| District 52 |
|
|
|
| District 55 |
|
|
|
| District 58 |
|
|
|
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionPrimary
Illinois State Senate primary 2024 |
|||
|
|||
| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 4 |
|
||
| District 7 |
|
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
| District 10 |
|
|
|
| District 13 |
|
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
| District 16 |
|
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
| District 19 |
|
|
|
| District 22 |
|
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
| District 25 |
|
|
|
| District 28 |
|
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
| District 31 |
|
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
| District 34 |
|
Did not make the ballot: |
|
| District 37 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 40 |
|
||
| District 43 |
|
|
|
| District 46 |
|
|
|
| District 49 |
|
||
| District 52 |
|
|
|
| District 55 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 58 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Illinois
General election race ratings
The table below displays race ratings for each race in this chamber from CNalysis.
Campaign finance
- See also: Campaign finance
The section and tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. Districts and elections are grouped in sections of 10. To view data for a district, click on the appropriate bar below to expand it. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
No incumbents lost in general elections. The average number of incumbents defeated in general elections from 2010 to 2022 was 1.3.
Incumbents defeated in primaries
No incumbents lost in primaries. This was less than the average of 0.7 incumbent defeats per cycle from 2010 to 2022.
Retiring incumbents
One incumbent did not file for re-election in 2024.[1] This was the lowest number of retirements since 2014. The incumbent was:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Win Stoller |  Republican |
Senate District 37 |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Illinois. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Illinois in 2024. Information below was calculated on March 13, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Six seats in the Illinois Legislature were open, meaning no incumbents filed. This guaranteed that at least 4% of the seats up for election would be represented by newcomers in 2025, a decade low.
Twenty incumbents faced primary challenges, representing 15% of all incumbents running for re-election.
Of the 20 incumbents in contested primaries, 15 were Democrats and five were Republicans.
Illinois had 29 contested state legislative primaries in 2024, a 43% decrease from 2022 and a decade low (tied with 2014).
Of the 29 contested primaries, there were 18 for Democrats and 11 for Republicans. For Democrats, this was seven fewer than in 2022. For Republicans, the number was down 58% from 26 in 2022.
Overall, 232 major party candidates — 133 Democrats and 99 Republicans — filed to run. All 118 House and 20 of 59 Senate seats were up for election.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Illinois State Senate from 2010 to 2024.[2]
| Open Seats in Illinois State Senate elections: 2010 - 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2024 | 20 | 1 (5 percent) | 19 (95 percent) |
| 2022 | 59 | 8 (14 percent) | 51 (86 percent) |
| 2020 | 20 | 6 (30 percent) | 14 (70 percent) |
| 2018 | 39 | 6 (15 percent) | 33 (85 percent) |
| 2016 | 40 | 5 (13 percent) | 35 (87 percent) |
| 2014 | 19 | 1 (5 percent) | 18 (95 percent) |
| 2012 | 59 | 12 (20 percent) | 47 (80 percent) |
| 2010 | 21 | 1 (5 percent) | 20 (95 percent) |
Legislative referrals
- See also: Legislative referral
A legislative referral, or legislatively referred ballot measure, is a ballot measure that appears on the ballot due to a vote of the state legislature. A legislative referral can be a constitutional amendment, state statute, or bond issue.
As of the 2024 election, a 60% vote was required during one legislative session for the Illinois General Assembly to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounted to a minimum of 71 votes in the Illinois House of Representatives and 36 votes in the Illinois State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments did not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
At the time of the 2024 election, Democrats held a 40-19 majority in the Senate and a 78-40 majority in the House. Democrats had the minimum votes necessary to put a legislative referral on the ballot without any Republican votes. Democrats needed to lose five Senate seats and eight House seats to lose that ability. Republicans needed to win 17 Senate seats and 31 House seats to pass legislative referrals without Democratic votes.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7 of the Illinois Statutes
In Illinois, a candidate may run with an established political party, with a new party, as an independent candidate, or as a write-in candidate. Candidate qualification processes are detailed below.[3]
Political party candidates and independent candidates
Established political party candidates, new party candidates, and independent candidates must file nomination papers with the Illinois State Board of Elections in order to qualify for placement on the ballot. These nomination papers must be filed during the designated filing period. The filing period for established party candidates begins 127 days before the primary election and ends 120 days before the primary election. New party and independent candidates have a separate filing period. Their filing period begins 141 days before the general election and ends 134 days before the general election.[4][3]
Nomination papers include the following:[3]
- The statement of candidacy must indicate the candidate's address, the office being sought, and the candidate's political party designation (if applicable). This form also includes a statement affirming that the candidate is qualified for the office being sought. This form must be signed by the candidate and notarized.[5]
- The original statement of economic interests must be filed with the Illinois Secretary of State, which will then issue the receipt of the statement of economic interests for the candidate to file with the Illinois State Board of Elections. This form is not required from candidates seeking federal office. It is suggested that this form be filed at the same time as all other nomination papers, but it may be filed after the other papers as long as it is filed within the candidate filing period.[3]
- The loyalty oath form is optional. If a candidate chooses to sign it, he or she must affirm that he or she is not affiliated directly or indirectly with any organization that seeks to overthrow the government of the United States or the state of Illinois.[3]
- A petition containing the signatures of qualified electors. A candidate can begin circulating petitions 90 days before the last day of the filing period. Signature requirements for petitions vary according to the candidate's political party affiliation and the office being sought. Signature requirements are detailed in the table below.[3][6][3]
| Petition signature requirements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Established party candidates | New party candidates | Independent candidates[7] |
| Statewide office (e.g., governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer) | 5,000 (no more than 10,000) primary voters belonging to the candidate's party | 1% of the number of voters who voted in the most recent general election or 25,000, whichever is less | 1% of the number of voters who voted in the most recent general election or 25,000, whichever is less |
| United States Representative | 0.5% of primary voters in the district belonging to the candidate's party | 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election | 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election |
| State senator | 1,000 (no more than 3,000) district voters belonging to the candidate's party | 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election | 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election |
| State representative | 500 (no more than 1,500) district voters belonging to the candidate's party | 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election | 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election |
Any objections to nomination papers must be filed no later than five business days after the filing deadline.[3]
Write-in candidates
Write-in votes will not be counted unless the candidate files a declaration of intent no later than 61 days before the election in which he or she is running. This form must indicate the office being sought by the candidate.[3][8]
Qualifications
Article IV of the Illinois Constitution states: To be eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly, a person must be a United States citizen, at least 21 years old, and for the two years preceding his election or appointment a resident of the district which he is to represent.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[9] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $89,250/year | $166/day |
When sworn in
Illinois legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January.[10]
Illinois political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Illinois Party Control: 1992-2025
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Presidential politics in Illinois
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in Illinois, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
57.6
|
3,471,915 | 20 |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
40.6
|
2,446,891 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.1
|
65,544 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.5
|
30,494 | 0 | |
 
| Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel (American Solidarity Party) |
0.2
|
9,548 | 0 | |
 
| Gloria La Riva/Leonard Peltier (Party for Socialism and Liberation) |
0.1
|
8,046 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.0
|
306 | 0 | ||
 |
Total votes: 6,032,744 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Illinois, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine |
55.8% | 3,090,729 | 20 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 38.8% | 2,146,015 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 3.8% | 209,596 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.4% | 76,802 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 13,282 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 5,536,424 | 20 | |||
| Election results via: Illinois State Board of Elections | |||||
Illinois presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 17 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
| Illinois | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Illinois State Board of Elections, "State of Illinois Candidate's Guide 2025," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 10, Section 12," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10.1," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 10, Section 3," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 59," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Illinois Constitution, "Article 4, Section 5a," accessed November 1, 2021
