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Illinois judicial elections summary, 2014
| Illinois judicial elections, 2014 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Total candidates: | 302 |
| Primary candidates: | 141 |
| General election candidates: | 232 |
| Incumbency | |
| Incumbents: | 176 |
| Incumbent success rate: | 98% |
| Competition - general election | |
| Percent of candidates in contested races: | 12% |
| Percent uncontested: | 20% |
| Percent retention: | 68% |
| Partisan victories | |
Republican 
|
28 |
Democratic 
|
32 |
2015 →
← 2013
|
| Judicial Elections |
|---|
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| Judicial elections, 2014 |
| Judicial election dates |
| Candidates by state |
| Supreme court elections |
Illinois judicial elections include both partisan elections and retention elections. In 2014, many judicial races in Illinois were decided in the primary election, as only one political party fielded candidates. In the general election, 46 candidates ran unopposed, while 29 faced opposition in contested races.
A total of 232 candidates appeared on the general election ballot, including 157 judges seeking retention. All were retained, though it was a narrow victory for Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier.
For general election results, see: Illinois judicial elections, 2014.
For primary election results, see: Illinois judicial primary elections, 2014.
Interesting races
- Justice Lloyd Karmeier secured another term on the Illinois Supreme Court after a late campaign emerged urging voters to oppose his retention. The ads accused him of ruling in favor of big business after receiving $4 million from pro-business interests during his 2004 campaign. The campaign alleged he favored big business interests, citing $4 million in contributions from such groups during his 2004 election. Karmeier received 60.77% of the vote—just above the 60% threshold required for retention.[1][2]
- Illinois had an average judicial retention rate of 75.7% in 2014. Retention vote percentages tended to be consistent among judges within the same circuit. For instance, all four judges in both the Eleventh Circuit and the Fifteenth Circuit were retained with over 80% of the vote. In contrast, judges in the First, Second, and Third Circuits received less than 70% support.
- Judge Harry E. Clem was retained with a vote of 80.1%.[3]
- The race for the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court was closely contested, with Republican candidate Thomas M. O'Shaughnessy defeating Democrat Karen E. Wall by a narrow margin of 1.4%.
- All three incumbents who were defeated in 2014 lost during the primary election.
List of defeated incumbents
| Name | Court |
|---|---|
| Alfred M. Swanson, Jr. | Cook Judicial Circuit Court - Arnold vacancy |
| Diana L. Embil | Cook County 15th Subcircuit - Doody, Jr. vacancy |
| Jerry A. Esrig | Cook Judicial Circuit Court - Goldberg vacancy |
| Kevin C. Kakac | Second Judicial Circuit Court - Harrison vacancy |
See also
- Illinois judicial elections, 2014
- Illinois elections
- Portal:Judicial elections
- Judicial selection in Illinois
- Illinois
External links
Footnotes
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