The 1986 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 4, 1986. The incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator
Alan J. Dixon
Alan John Dixon (July 7, 1927 – July 6, 2014) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1951 to 1971, as the Illinois Treasurer from 1971 to 1977, as the Illinois Secretary ...
won re-election to a second term. Until
2022, this was the most recent election in which an incumbent Senator won re-election to Illinois' Class 3 seat and was elected to more than one full term.
Primaries were held March 18, 1986.
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]
Election information
The primaries and general elections coincided with those for House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
, as well as those for state offices.[
]
Turnout
For the primaries, turnout was 21.84%, with 1,333,989 votes were cast.
Democratic primary
Candidates
* Alan J. Dixon
Alan John Dixon (July 7, 1927 – July 6, 2014) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1951 to 1971, as the Illinois Treasurer from 1971 to 1977, as the Illinois Secretary ...
, incumbent U.S. Senator
* Sheila Jones, perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...
Results
Republican
Candidates
* Judy Koehler
Judy Koehler (born September 20, 1941) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Appellate Court Justice.
Illinois House of Representatives
Koehler was first elected to the I ...
, state representative
* George Ranney, executive at Inland Steel Company
The Inland Steel Company was an American steel company active in 1893–1998. Its history as an independent firm thus spanned much of the 20th century. It was headquartered in Chicago at the landmark Inland Steel Building.
Inland Steel was an i ...
Withdrew
* Tom Corcoran, former congressman (1977-1985)
General election
Dixon easily won the senate race. Koehler fared poorly throughout most parts of the state, only winning 10 of the state's 102 counties.[
Koehler's campaign was regarded as underfinanced.]
See also
* 1986 United States Senate elections
The 1986 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate in the middle of Ronald Reagan's second presidential term. The Republicans had to defend an unusually large number of freshman Senate incumbents who had been el ...
References
{{United States elections, 1986
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
1986 Illinois elections