Half of Contested 2016 General Assembly Races are in the Chicago Suburbs
Could have impact on House Supermajority
Tuesday, May 31st was the deadline for party candidates to file for eligibility in the November General Election, and the results are in.  Out of the 177 total positions in the General Assembly, 158
are up for election in November. There are
62 contested races.
57 of the candidates are female, and 67 are male.

This means that 41% of eligible races are competitive in the General Assembly this year. In 2014, there were 137 offices up for election, and 61 races were competitive, or a rate of 44%.

Of the 118 eligible Illinois House of Representative positions, 50 are competitive. 16 of those have an incumbent House Republican running, and 27 have an incumbent House Democrat running.

Competitive Race Breakdown by Party and Chamber
House Democrats
27
Senate Democrats
7
House GOP
16
Senate GOP
4
House Open Seats 7 Senate Open Seats 1
House Total
50
Senate Total 12

In the Illinois Senate, 12 of 40 eligible offices are competitive. 7 of those are incumbent Senate Democrats, and 4 are incumbent Senate Republicans.

8 open races are contested with newcomers from both parties, and 7 of those are for House seats. It appears as though the Senate Democratic majority will remain intact, as they currently hold a 19 member lead over Republicans. However, the Illinois House majority is 24 seats, and 27 of those are up for re-election this year. Depending on the outcome of the General Election, the House Democrats could lose their supermajority, impacting important budget and override votes.  

Half of the contested races (31) are in the Chicago Suburbs. 14 are in Central Illinois, 1 is in the Northwest Suburbs, 6 are in Chicago, and 10 are in Southern Illinois.

Incumbent Representative Jack Franks' election is included in the total count of 62 contested races, although he has declared that he will not seek re-election to the House. It is likely that the Democrats will appoint another candidate, although the District tends to lean Republican. The party has until August 31st to fill any candidate position that is vacated after the May 31st deadline.

111 candidates have active political committees. Candidates can file to start a new committee at any time, so we should expect to see them pop up throughout the campaign season.  Currently, all committees in contested races have a total amount of $13.6 Million in funds available.

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform
312.436.1274
36 W Randolph #405, Chicago

Your support is always appreciated.  Click Here to Donate to ICPR .

Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.