Illinois gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

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Illinois Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election
Primary Date:
March 18, 2014
General Election Date:
November 4, 2014
Race rating: Lean Democrat
November 4 Election Winners:
Bruce Rauner Republican Party
Evelyn Sanguinetti Republican Party
Incumbents prior to election:
Gov. Pat Quinn Democratic Party
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon Democratic Party
Gov. Pat Quinn
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon
Illinois State Executive Elections
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Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General
Down Ballot
Treasurer, Controller
Trifecta loss for Democrats
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State executive offices in Illinois
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The Illinois gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Governor Pat Quinn (D) ran unsuccessfully for re-election, losing to Republican challenger Bruce Rauner in the general election. Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon, however, opted to run for state comptroller in 2014 rather than seek re-election with Quinn. She lost that race to Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka.

Quinn was widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable governors facing re-election in the 2014 electoral cycle.[1] He faced Republican nominee Bruce Rauner and Libertarian Party candidate Chad Grimm in the general election.

The Illinois gubernatorial race became a heated contest between Quinn and Rauner with polls showing razor-thin margins between the two candidates. It was believed that Grimm's share of the vote could impact the outcome of the general election based on polling details available here. Learn more about the history of this close election in the race background section or read about debates in the election in the debates section.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Illinois uses an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party, but they do have to choose, publicly, which party's ballot they will vote on at the primary election.[2][3][4][5]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

The competitive gubernatorial contest was the only race on the November ballot that threatened to shift the partisan balance of power in Illinois. Going into the 2014 elections, both the Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois State Senate were considered safe Democratic, but because the governor's office turned red, Illinois lost its trifecta status. Learn more about the state's most competitive legislative races on the battleground chambers page.

Candidates

Running mates listed together in order of "Governor/Lieutenant Governor"

General election

Democratic Party Pat Quinn (Incumbent)/Paul Vallas[6]
Republican Party Bruce Rauner/Evelyn Sanguinetti[7] Green check mark transparent.png
Libertarian Party Chad Grimm/Alex Cummings[8][9]

Lost in the primary

Democratic Party Tio Hardiman/Brunell Donald[10][10][11]
Republican Party Bill Brady/Maria Rodriguez[12][13]
Republican Party Kirk Dillard/Jil Tracy - State Senator[14][15]
Republican Party Dan Rutherford/Steve Kim - State Treasurer[16][17]

Failed to qualify

Green Party Scott Summers/Bob Pritchett, Jr.[18]
Constitution Party Michael Oberline/Don Stone[19]
Grey.png Michael Hawkins/Kimberly Kusch[20]


Results

General election

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Rauner/Evelyn Sanguinetti 50.3% 1,823,627
     Democratic Pat Quinn/Paul Vallas Incumbent 46.3% 1,681,343
     Libertarian Chad Grimm/Alex Cummings 3.4% 121,534
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0% 1,186
Total Votes 3,627,690
Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections

Primary election

Democratic primary

Governor and Lt. Governor of Illinois, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngPat Quinn & Paul Vallas Incumbent 71.9% 321,818
Tio Hardiman & Brunell Donald 28.1% 125,500
Total Votes 447,318
Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections.

Republican primary

Governor and Lt. Governor of Illinois, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Rauner & Evelyn Sanguinetti 40.1% 328,934
Kirk Dillard & Jil Tracy 37.2% 305,120
Bill Brady & Maria Rodriguez 15.1% 123,708
Dan Rutherford & Steve Kim 7.6% 61,948
Total Votes 819,710
Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections.


Race background

Gov. Pat Quinn (D) lost his bid for re-election in 2014 to Republican Bruce Rauner. Quinn previously served as lieutenant governor under Rod Blagojevich. He became governor after Blagojevich's impeachment in 2009 and won a full term in 2010. Quinn was the second-least popular governor up for re-election in 2014, according to approval ratings compiled by FiveThirtyEight. According to multiple outside ratings, Quinn was among the most vulnerable governors in the 2014 electoral cycle.[21][22]

Incumbent Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (D) announced in February 2013 that she would not run for re-election in 2014 alongside Quinn, her 2010 running mate. Simon later declared her candidacy for state comptroller.[23][24] Quinn chose former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas as his new running mate.[25]

The 2014 electoral cycle marked the first time in Illinois history that candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor ran on a single ticket in the primary election phase.[25]

As a result of the 2014 elections, Illinois became one of 20 states under divided government and did not have a state government trifecta.

Minor party candidates

Quinn and Rauner ran against Libertarian candidate Chad Grimm. Initially, there were three other minor party or independent tickets in the race, including Michael Oberline (Constitution), Scott Summers (Green), and Michael Hawkins (independent). The Illinois State Board of Elections ruled on petition challenges on August 22, 2014, disqualifying Oberline, Summers, and Hawkins from appearing on the November 4 ballot. It was the first time in a decade that the Libertarian Party, which survived the signature challenge, was the only minor party to compete for Illinois statewide office in the general election.[26]

Debates

Debate media
October 9 debate
October 9 debate

Bruce Rauner (R) and Pat Quinn (D) traded barbs over past executive experiences during a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters of Illinois and WTVP. Quinn criticized Rauner as a political novice who had not been effective at turning around businesses as an equity investor. He cited bankruptcy proceedings for a nursing home operator run by Rauner's firm that was sued for wrongful deaths as examples of Rauner's alleged lack of business acumen. Rauner responded by pointing to poor state management of a $54.5 million anti-violence grant that had been under investigation by federal officials. The Republican candidate claimed that Quinn and state Democrats used the funds to shore up African American votes in the state, while Quinn argued that he eliminated the program when irregularities were brought to his attention.[27]

Quinn asserted that the state's economic fortunes improved in the past four years, with increases in jobs throughout the state and decreased unemployment. Rauner argued that Quinn had not been a successful governor, claiming that "a small group of Chicago machine politicians" led the state down the wrong path.[27]

Polls

General election
All candidates

Governor of Illinois: All candidates
Poll Pat Quinn* (D) Bruce Rauner (R)Chad Grimm (L)UndecidedMargin of errorSample size
We Ask America
October 27-28, 2014		 49.5%44.8%5.6%0%+/-32,327
Southern Illinois University
September 23-October 15, 2014		 40.7%42.4%3%13.9%+/-3.7691
Early & Often/We Ask America
October 8, 2014		 44.48%41.03%6.95%7.53%+/-31,051
We Ask America/Reboot Illinois
October 6, 2014		 43.6%39.6%5.9%10.9%+/-31,097
The Chicago Tribune/APC Research, Inc.
September 3-12, 2014		 48%37%5%8%+/-3.5800
Global Strategy Group (D-DGA)
September 4-7, 2014		 43%40%5%12%+/-4605
We Ask America/Reboot Illinois
September 2, 2014		 37%46%7%10%+/-31,064
AVERAGES 43.75% 41.55% 5.49% 8.9% +/-3.31 1,090.71
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

**Incumbency is denoted by asterisk (*)

Quinn vs. Rauner

Governor of Illinois: Pat Quinn vs. Bruce Rauner
Poll Pat Quinn* (D) Bruce Rauner (R)UndecidedMargin of errorSample size
New York Times/CBS News/YouGov
October 16-23, 2014		 45%41%14%+/-33,519
Rasmussen Reports
October 20-22, 2014		 47%48%6%+/-31,000
New York Times/CBS News/YouGov
September 20-October 1, 2014		 46%43%11%+/-23,955
New York Times/CBS/YouGov
August 18-September 2, 2014		 40%44%13%+/-3.04,363
Garin-Hart-Yang (D)
August 12-14, 2014		 43%46%11%+/-3.5802
We Ask America/Chicago Sun Times
August 6, 2014		 38%51%11%+/-3.121,085
Gravis Marketing/Human Events (R)
August 4-5, 2014		 40%48%12%+/-4.0567
Rasmussen Reports
July 29-30, 2014		 39%44%10%+/-4.0750
We Ask America/Capitol Fax
July 8, 2014		 39%51%10%+/-3.2940
We Ask America/Reboot Illinois
June 10-11, 2014		 37%47%16%+/-3.01,075
Rasmussen Reports
April 9-10, 2014		 40%43%10%+/-4.0750
AVERAGES 41.27% 46% 11.27% +/-3.26 1,709.64
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

**Incumbency is denoted by asterisk (*)

Republican Primary

Illinois Governor - 2014 Republican Primary
Poll Bill Brady Kirk DillardBruce RaunerDan RutherfordUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
WeAskAmerica
March 16, 2014		 19.35%27.36%44.24%9.04%0%+/-3.01,126
WeAskAmerica
March 11, 2014		 18.9%25.76%46.46%8.88%0%+/-2.91,235
WeAskAmerica
March 4, 2014		 11.65%14.45%39.88%8.20%25.82%+/-2.851,262
Chicago Tribune/WGN
March 1-5, 2014		 18%23%36%9%13%+/-4600
WeAskAmerica
February 25, 2014		 12.8%17.25%35.6%7.48%26.88%+/-31,178
Chicago Tribune/WGN
February 2-8, 2014		 20%11%40%13%15%+/-4600
WeAskAmerica
November 26, 2013		 18%10%26%17%29%+/-2.81,233
Capitol Fax/We AskAmericaPoll
June 20, 2013		 18%11%12%22%38%+/-2.81,310
AVERAGES 17.09% 17.48% 35.02% 11.83% 18.46% +/-3.17 1,068
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

**Due to the nature of the comparison, a placeholder figure of 0% is assigned to candidates not included in any given match-up round


Illinois Governor - Early Republican Primary 2014
Poll Dan Rutherford Bill BradyBruce RaunerKirk DillardDan ProftMargin of errorSample size
Battleground Polling
(May 27, 2013)
 27%19%5%14%13%+/-4.8400
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

November 2012

Public Policy Polling surveyed 500 registered Illinois voters through live telephone interviews from November 26 to 28, 2012. The respondents were given a series of hypothetical match-ups between Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn and three potential Republican candidates, and asked which of the two candidates they would vote for in the 2014 election. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent. [28]

Hypothetical match-ups for Governor of Illinois
Kirk DillardDan RutherfordAaron Schock
Percent of the vote44%43%39%
Pat Quinn's percent of the vote37%39%40%
Undecided19%18%21%

Campaign media

General election

Democratic PartyPat Quinn & Paul Vallas

Pat Quinn ad: Bruce Rauner "Twice"
Pat Quinn ad: Loved Ones
Pat Quinn ad: Bruce Rauner "Tax Plan"

Republican PartyBruce Rauner & Evelyn Sanguinetti

Bruce Rauner ad: Corruption
Bruce Rauner ad: Hope

Primary election

Democratic PartyPat Quinn & Paul Vallas

Democratic PartyTio Hardiman & Brunell Donald

Facebook
Twitter

Republican Party Kirk Dillard & Jil Tracy

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

Republican PartyBill Brady & Maria Rodriguez

Republican PartyBruce Rauner & Evelyn Sanguinetti

"Nuts" - posted 4/4/14
"Beautiful Thing" - posted 4/28/14
"Principle" - posted 4/28/14
"Wrong Direction" - posted 4/28/14
"Upside Down" - posted 6/11/13
"Back To Work" - posted 6/11/13
"Snow Globe" - posted 12/2013

Republican PartyDan Rutherford & Steve Kim

Ad spending

The Wesleyan Media Project published a report on September 30, 2014, highlighting spending on gubernatorial races from September 12-25. This report found that Democratic and Republican groups spent a total of $46.84 million on TV ads in 15 states with gubernatorial elections. The following chart details the group's findings, including spending amounts and number of ads:[29]

Note: A bolded number indicates the highest total for this category. A number in italics is the lowest total for this category.

Spending on TV ads, September 12-25, 2014
State Total # of ads % Democratic-leaning ads % GOP-leaning ads Total spending-Democratic leaning (in millions of $) Total spending-GOP leaning (in millions of $)
Colorado 2,460 83.1 16.9 1.35 0.39
Connecticut 2,312 61.7 38.3 1.48 0.89
Florida 20,111 38.5 61.5 4.07 6.64
Georgia 4,625 51.1 48.9 1.43 0.99
Illinois 7,793 63.5 36.5 4.17 3.5
Iowa 2,134 47.5 52.5 0.25 0.38
Kansas 5,024 45.7 54.3 0.85 1.17
Maine 3,281 42.3 57.7 0.46 0.32
Michigan 6,767 33.9 66.1 1.14 2.3
Minnesota 1,974 83.9 16.1 0.65 0.29
New York 4,926 61 39 2.18 0.88
Pennsylvania 3,263 50.9 49.1 1.58 1.23
South Carolina 2,883 39.1 60.9 0.33 0.38
Texas 10,330 33.4 66.6 2.24 2.93
Wisconsin 7,374 63.3 36.7 1.36 1.01
TOTALS 85,257 48.2 51.8 23.54 23.3

Past elections

2010

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngPat Quinn & Sheila Simon Incumbent 46.8% 1,745,219
     Republican Bill Brady & Jason Plummer 45.9% 1,713,385
     Independent Scott Lee Cohen & Baxter Swilley 3.6% 135,705
     Green Rich Whitney & Don Crawford 2.7% 100,756
     Libertarian Lex Green & Ed Ruthledge 0.9% 34,681
     None Write-in 0% 243
Total Votes 3,729,989
Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[30] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[31]

Quick facts

  • According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[32]
  • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia failed to surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
  • The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).
  • Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
  • There were only 12 states that increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[33]

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $127,090,488 during the election. This information was last updated on May 13, 2015.[34]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate Office Result Contributions
Bruce Rauner/Evelyn Sanguinetti Republican Party Illinois Governor/Lieutenant Governor Won $89,203,050
Patrick Quinn/Paul Vallas Democratic Party Illinois Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $33,372,111
Kirk Dillard/Jil Tracy Republican Party Illinois Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $2,348,178
Dan Rutherford/Steve Kim Republican Party Illinois Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $1,734,547
Bill Brady/Maria Rodriguez Republican Party Illinois Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $362,335
Tio Hardiman/Brunell Donald Democratic Party Illinois Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $40,267
Chad Grimm/Alex Cummings Libertarian Party Illinois Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $30,000
Grand Total Raised $127,090,488

Key deadlines

Deadline Event
December 2, 2013 Last day of petition filing for established political parties
January 16, 2014 Last day to file a Declaration of Intent to be a write-in candidate
March 18, 2014 Primary election
November 4, 2014 General election
November 25, 2014 Last day for canvassing election results by proper canvassing board
January 12, 2015 Inauguration day for state executive officials in general election

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Illinois + Governor + Election + 2014"

Illinois gubernatorial election News Feed

See also

External links

Illinois News Network stories

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Governing Politics, "2013-2014 Governor's Races: Who's Vulnerable?" December 11, 2012
  2. ↑ Illinois Courts Student Learning Center, "Illinois Government Lesson 5 - Voting in Illinois," accessed October 25, 2019
  3. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
  4. ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
  5. ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
  6. ↑ ChicagoBusiness.com, "Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn taps Paul Vallas for running mate," November 8, 2013
  7. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list," December 3, 2013
  8. ↑ Independent Political Report, "Libertarian Party of Illinois holds annual state convention," September 23, 2013
  9. ↑ Independent Political Report, "Libertarian Party of Illinois holds annual state convention," September 23, 2013
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Tio Hardiman for Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed December 3, 2013
  11. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list," December 3, 2013
  12. ↑ Brady/Rodriguez for Governor/Lt. Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed December 3, 2013
  13. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list," December 3, 2013
  14. ↑ Dillard/Tracy for Governor/Lt. Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed December 3, 2013
  15. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list," December 3, 2013
  16. ↑ The Southern, "Rutherford announces gov. campaign in Southern Illinois," June 2, 2013
  17. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list," December 3, 2013
  18. ↑ Illinois Green Party, "Meet Scott Summers, candidate for governor," accessed March 18, 2014
  19. ↑ Independent Political Report, "Constitution Party of Illinois nominates statewide candidates," March 24, 2014
  20. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Detail - General Election 11/04/2014," accessed August 21, 2014
  21. ↑ Governing Politics, "2013-2014 Governor's Races: Who's Vulnerable?" December 11, 2012
  22. ↑ St. Louis Today, "Illinois Gov. Quinn 2nd least popular incumbent going into 2014," April 9, 2013
  23. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Simon will not run again for lieutenant governor," February 13, 2013
  24. ↑ Chicago Magazine, "What Happens After Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon Quits Pat Quinn’s Team," March 26, 2013
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 CBS Local - Chicago, "2014 Governor Candidates To Choose Running Mates," August 24, 2013
  26. ↑ Ballot Access News, "Libertarian Party Statewide Slate Will Appear on Illinois Ballot," August 22, 2014
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Chicago Tribune, "Quinn, Rauner try to create fear about the other guy during debate," accessed October 15, 2014
  28. ↑ Public Policy Polling, "Quinn in deep trouble, Dems favor Madigan," November 29, 2012
  29. ↑ Wesleyan Media Project, "GOP Groups Keeping Senate Contests Close," September 30, 2014
  30. ↑ United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
  31. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
  32. ↑ PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
  33. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014
  34. ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of Illinois 2014 elections," accessed May 13, 2015
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