Illinois State Senate District 18
| Illinois State Senate District 18 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Bill Cunningham  | |
| Population | 209,148 | |
| Ethnicity | 15% Black, 8.2% Hispanic[1] | |
| Voting age | 77.2% age 18 and over | |
Illinois' eighteenth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Bill Cunningham.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 209,148 civilians reside within Illinois' eighteenth state senate district.[2] Illinois state senators represent an average of 217,468 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 210,496 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Illinois State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Illinois legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, Senators are divided into three groups. Each group has a two-year term at a different part of the decade between censuses, and the rest of the decade is taken up by two four-year terms.[3] Depending on the election year, roughly one-third, two-thirds, or all of the senate seats may have terms ending.
All three groups hold elections in the first election year following the decennial census and subsequent redistricting (i.e. 1992, 2002, 2012, etc.). Starting with that election, the terms for the three groups are structured as follows:[3]
- Group 1: four-year term, four-year term, two-year term
- Group 2: four-year term, two-year term, four-year term
- Group 3: two-year term, four-year term, four-year term
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."[4]
65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(a) states, "A person is not eligible for an elective municipal office unless that person is a qualified elector."[5]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[6] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $93,712/year | $178/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Illinois General Assembly, the state constitution mandates that the seat must be filled by appointment when allowed by law. The appointment must be made within 30 days after the vacancy. If a vacancy occurs in the Senate with more than twenty-eight months remaining in the term, the appointment is interim until the next general election, when a special election must be held. All other House and Senate vacancies are to be filled by an appointment from the same political party that last held the seat.[7] If the vacated seat was held by an independent (no party affiliation), the governor is to appoint an independent successor within 30 days.[8]
The vacancy must be filled by the respective party organizations covering the legislative district.[9] The respective committeemen and committeewomen representing the legislative district must vote on a replacement.[10] The person selected for the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[11]
See sources: Illinois Const. Art. 4, Sec. 2(d) and Illinois Rev. Stat. ch. 10, § 5/25-6
Elections
2014
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Illinois State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013. Incumbent Bill Cunningham ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Shaun Colin Murphy (R), who filed to run on June 2, in the general election.[12][13][14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Bill Cunningham Incumbent |
58.3% | 41,515 | |
| Republican | Shaun Colin Murphy | 41.7% | 29,658 | |
| Total Votes | 71,173 | |||
2012
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Illinois State Senate consisted of a primary election on March 20, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 5, 2011. Bill Cunningham (D) defeated Barbara Ruth Bellar (R) in the general election. Cunningham was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Bellar defeated Ricardo Fernandez in the Republican primary.[16][17]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Cunningham |
63.7% | 60,325 | |
| Republican | Barbara Ruth Bellar | 36.3% | 34,338 | |
| Total Votes | 94,663 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Barbara Ruth Bellar |
74.1% | 9,846 |
| Ricardo Fernandez | 25.9% | 3,434 |
| Total Votes | 13,280 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2012, candidates for Illinois State Senate District 18 raised a total of $2,382,174. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $183,244 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, Illinois State Senate District 18 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2012 | $334,719 | 4 | $83,680 | |
| 2010 | $121,380 | 1 | $121,380 | |
| 2008 | $152,345 | 1 | $152,345 | |
| 2006 | $152,927 | 1 | $152,927 | |
| 2004 | $104,575 | 1 | $104,575 | |
| 2002 | $155,722 | 3 | $51,907 | |
| 2000 | $1,360,506 | 2 | $680,253 | |
| Total | $2,382,174 | 13 | $183,244 | |
See also
External links
References
- ↑ For more information on the parameters the U.S. Census Bureau use, please see our Race and Ethnicity on the United States Census page.
- ↑ publicmapping.org, "Illinois 2010 Census Statistics," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Illinois General Assembly, "Article IV of the Illinois Constitution (Section 2a)," accessed February 4, 2021
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Constitution of the State of Illinois," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Compiled Statutes," accessed May 27, 2025(Sec. 65 5/3.1-10-5)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Constitution," accessed February 4, 2021 (Section Article IV, Section 2(d))
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Compiled Statutes," accessed February 4, 2021 (Statute 10 ILCS 5/25-6)
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Election Code," accessed February 4, 2021 (Statute 10 ILCS 5/25 6 (a), (c))
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Election Code," accessed February 4, 2021 (Statute 10 ILCS 5/25 6 (d))
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Election Code," accessed February 4, 2021 (Statute 10 ILCS 5/25 6 (f))
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Board of Elections, "General Primary Election Official Canvass," April 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "Results List (Unofficial)," accessed November 5, 2014
- ↑ "Illinois State Board of Elections - Official Primary Election Results," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ "Illinois State Board of Elections - Official General Election Results," accessed October 9, 2013
