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Mike Bost (R) defeated Brendan Kelly (D) and Randy Auxier (G) in the 2018 general election for Illinois' 12th Congressional District.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.
Prior to Bost's election in 2014, the seat had been held by Democrats since 1993. Bost was re-elected in 2016 with a 14 point margin of victory over his Democratic opponent. The 12th District was targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in 2018.
Illinois' 12th Congressional District 2018, Bost v. Kelly
| Poll | Mike Bost | Brendan Kelly | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New York Times Upshot/Siena College October 18-22, 2018 | 48% | 39% | 11% | +/-4.7 | 502 |
| The New York Times/Siena College September 4-7, 2018 | 44% | 43% | 13% | +/-4.6 | 533 |
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan Kelly | Democratic Party | $3,931,101 | $3,927,042 | $4,060 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Mike Bost | Republican Party | $2,872,975 | $2,875,064 | $5,321 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Randy Auxier | Green Party | $14,979 | $16,656 | $-5 | As of December 31, 2018 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018.
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Illinois from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Illinois every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Illinois 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Hillary Clinton |
55.8% |  Donald Trump |
38.8% | 17.0% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
57.6% | Mitt Romney |
40.7% | 16.9% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
61.9% | John McCain |
36.8% | 25.1% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
54.8% | George W. Bush |
44.5% | 10.3% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
54.6% | George W. Bush |
42.6% | 12.0% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Illinois from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Illinois 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Tammy Duckworth |
54.9% | Mark Kirk |
39.8% | 15.1% |
| 2014 | Dick Durbin |
53.5% | Jim Oberweis |
42.7% | 10.8% |
| 2010 | Mark Kirk |
48.0% | Alexander Giannoulias |
46.4% | 1.6% |
| 2008 | Dick Durbin |
67.8% | Steve Sauerberg |
28.5% | 39.3% |
| 2004 | Barack Obama |
70.0% | Alan Keyes |
27.0% | 43.0% |
| 2002 | Dick Durbin |
60.3% | Jim Durkin |
38.0% | 22.3% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Illinois.
Election results (Governor), Illinois 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Bruce Rauner |
50.3% | Pat Quinn |
46.3% | 4.0% |
| 2010 | Pat Quinn |
46.8% | Bill Brady |
45.9% | 0.9% |
| 2006 | Rod Blagojevich |
49.8% | Judy Baar Topinka |
39.3% | 10.5% |
| 2002 | Rod Blagojevich |
52.2% | Jim Ryan |
45.1% | 7.1% |
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Illinois in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, Illinois 2000-2016
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 |
38.9% | 11 |
61.1% | D+4 |
| 2014 | 8 |
44.4% | 10 |
55.6% | D+2 |
| 2012 | 6 |
33.3% | 12 |
66.7% | D+6 |
| 2010 | 11 |
57.9% | 8 |
42.1% | R+3 |
| 2008 | 7 |
36.8% | 12 |
63.2% | D+5 |
| 2006 | 9 |
47.4% | 10 |
52.6% | D+1 |
| 2004 | 9 |
47.4% | 10 |
52.6% | D+1 |
| 2002 | 10 |
52.6% | 9 |
47.4% | R+1 |
| 2000 | 10 |
50.0% | 10 |
50.0% | Even |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Illinois Party Control: 1992-2019
13 years of Democratic trifectas • Two years of Republican trifectas
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Demographic data for Illinois
| Illinois | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 12,839,047 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 55,519 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.9% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 72.3% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 14.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 16.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 87.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,574 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.8% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Illinois. | ||
As of July 2016, Illinois' three largest cities were Chicago (pop. est. 2.7 million), Aurora (pop. est. 200,000), and Joliet (pop. est. 150,000).
