The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the 18

U.S. representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the state, one from each of the state's 18

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

, a loss of one seat following the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s were held on March 20, 2012. Republicans struggled after a strong showing in 2010, losing a total of five seats, one via redistricting, and four via loses by incumbents. Joe Walsh, Bob Dold,

Judy Biggert Judith Biggert (née Borg; born August 15, 1937) is an American politician and attorney. She is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1999 to 2013. She is a member of the Republican Party. Biggert was defeated in her 2012 re-electi ...

, and Bobby Schilling were all defeated in their bids for re-election. Walsh, Dold, and Schilling had all been elected during the wave year of 2010.

Redistricting

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

bill was introduced to the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...

by members of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in May 2011. Although Representatives are not required to live within their districts, the new map drew the homes of at least five Republican

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

s into districts where they would have to run against other Republicans, and others into districts which strongly favor Democrats. After an amendment which modified the 13th and 15th districts was passed with Republican support, the new map was passed by the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

on May 30, 2011 and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on May 31.

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Pat Quinn, a Democrat, signed the map into law on June 24. Republican members of the congressional delegation planned to mount a legal challenge.

Overview

District 1

The 1st district, which has been represented by Democrat Bobby Rush since 1993, had seen a decline in population and so now extends into the

Chicago suburbs The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hint ...

and rural areas of Will County.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bobby Rush, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Harold Bailey * Raymond Lodato, lecturer in public policy at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

* Clifford Russell Jr., police officer * Jordan Sims, political commentator for an online newspaper * Fred Smith, program director for a youth care agency

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Donald Peloquin, Mayor of

Blue Island Blue Island is a city in Cook County, Illinois, located approximately south of Chicago's Loop. Blue Island is adjacent to the city of Chicago and shares its northern boundary with that city's Morgan Park neighborhood. The population was 22,558 ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Frederick Collins, police officer and 2010 candidate for Cook County Sheriff * Jimmy Lee Tillman II, producer

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 2

The new 2nd district stretches from

Kankakee County Kankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 113,449. Its county seat is Kankakee. Kankakee County comprises the Kankakee, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History St ...

, through Will County and to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Democrat

Jesse Jackson, Jr. Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. (born March 11, 1965) is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative from from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of activist and former presidential can ...

, who had represented the 2nd district since 1999, sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Jesse Jackson Jr., incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *

Debbie Halvorson Deborah L. Halvorson (born March 1, 1958) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until 2011. Previously, she served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 through 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In ...

, former U.S. Representative

Endorsements

Polling

Primary results

Republican primary

Republican Adam Kinzinger, who was first elected to represent the 11th district in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and now lives in the 2nd district, sought re-election in the 16th district.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Brian Woodworth,

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

at Olivet Nazarene University

=Eliminated in primary

= * James Taylor Sr., newspaper publisher

=Declined

= * Adam Kinzinger, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 11th district

Endorsements

Primary results

Independents

*Marcus Lewis, postal worker

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Aftermath

Jesse Jackson, Jr. resigned his seat in the 112th Congress on November 21, 2012, and also resigned his seat in the 113th Congress on the same day. As a result, no one was seated in the 113th Congress for the 2nd congressional District and a Special Election was called for April, 2013, to fill the vacancy.

District 3

The 3rd district, which has been represented by Democrat Dan Lipinski since 2005, now extends to

Bridgeport, Chicago Bridgeport is one of the 77 community areas in Chicago, on the city's South Side, bounded on the north by the South Branch of the Chicago River, on the west by Bubbly Creek, on the south by Pershing Road, and on the east by the Union Pacific ...

and Lockport, Will County. Lipinski sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

executive and health care

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

John Atkinson was expected to challenge incumbent Lipinski, and raised over $535,000 in the first

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement i ...

of 2011, but no longer lives in Lipinski's district. Atkinson had considered instead running in the 11th district, but suspended his campaign on June 14, 2011.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Dan Lipinski, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Farah Baqai, police officer

=Withdrawn

= * John Atkinson,

executive and health care

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Richard Grabowski, manufacturing company supervisor

=Eliminated in primary

= * Jim Falvey, attorney *

Arthur J. Jones Arthur Joseph Jones (born January 1, 1948) is an Neo-Nazism#United States, American neo-Nazi, Holocaust denial, Holocaust denier and perennial candidate. After running unopposed in the primary election, he was the Republican Party (United State ...

, insurance sales representative

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 4

The 4th district, which has been represented by Democrat Luis Gutiérrez since 1993, was extended to incorporate Gutiérrez's new home in

Portage Park Portage Park is a park in the Portage Park community area of Chicago, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places. The park stretches from Irving Park Road on the south to Berteau Avenue between Central and Long Avenues. The largest p ...

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Luis Gutiérrez, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *Jorge Zavala, teacher with the

City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago is the public community college system of the Chicago area. Its colleges offer associate degrees, certificates, free courses for the GED, and free English as a second language (ESL) courses. The City Colleges system ...

Primary results

Republican primary

Héctor Concepción, a former director of the Puerto Rican

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

, had been removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections in January 2012, but since refiled and challenged Gutiérrez as the Republican nominee in the general election.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Héctor Concepción, former director of the Puerto Rican

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 5

The 5th district, which has been represented by Democrat Mike Quigley since 2009, was redrawn to include Franklin Park, Elmwood Park, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, River Grove, Schiller Park and parts of Melrose Park, Stone Park and the North Side of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Quigley sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Mike Quigley, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Dan Schmitt, self-employed

Primary results

Green primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Nancy Wade, community activist

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 6

The 6th district, which has been represented by Republican Peter Roskam since 2007, is one of two districts which were expected to remain strongly favorable to Republicans, although it has been redrawn to include Algonquin, Barrington, Cary,

Downers Grove Downers Grove is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1832 by Pierce Downer, whose surname serves as the eponym for the village. It is a south-west suburb of Chicago. The village is located between I-88 and I-55. ...

Glen Ellyn Glen Ellyn is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. A suburb located due west of downtown Chicago, the village has a population of 28,846 as of the 2020 Census. History Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lomba ...

Lake in the Hills Lake in the Hills (often abbreviated L.I.T.H. or LITH) is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,982. The village is most known for its rampant residential growth which occurred most ...

Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...

, Palatine, South Elgin,

West Chicago West Chicago is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,086 at the 2010 census. It was formerly named Junction and later Turner, after its founder, John B. Turner, president of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad ...

, Westmont and Wheaton.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Peter Roskam, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Leslie Coolidge,

Certified Public Accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...

and former partner at

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Geoffrey Petzel, small business owner * Maureen E. Yates, retired businesswoman

=Disqualified

= * Tim Ritter, graduate student at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

Endorsements

Primary results

Independents

Khizar Jafri, a traffic analyst, ran as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 7

The 7th district, which has been represented by Democrat

Danny K. Davis Daniel K. Davis (born September 6, 1941) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative from , elected in 1996. The district serves much of western Chicago, including the Loop. It also includes several of Chicago's inner western suburb ...

since 1997, was redrawn to include parts of LaGrange Park and

Westchester Westchester most commonly refers to Westchester County, New York, immediately north of New York City. __NOTOC__ It may also refer to: Geography Canada *Westchester Station, Nova Scotia, Canada United States *Town of Westchester, the original seat ...

. Davis sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Danny Davis, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Jacques A. Conway, pastor and retired police officer

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Rita Zak

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 8

Republican Joe Walsh, who was first elected to represent the 8th district in

, ran for re-election despite no longer living within the redrawn boundaries of the district. Walsh had initially decided to run in the redrawn 14th district.

Republican primary

Walsh defeated write-in candidate Robert Canfield, a business owner who had planned to challenge him in the Republican primary before being removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Joe Walsh, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *Robert Canfield, business owner

=Withdrawn

= *Rick Veenstra, DuPage County assistant state attorney

=Disqualified

= *Rich Evans, accountant

=Declined

= * David Harris,

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

*Craig Johnson, Mayor of

Elk Grove Village Elk Grove Village is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 32,812. Located northwest of Chicago along the Golden Corridor, the Village of Elk Grove Village was incorpora ...

*Andrew Palomo, businessman *Darlene Ruscitti, DuPage County Superintendent of Education

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Tammy Duckworth, Iraq veteran, former official in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and candidate for the 6th district in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Raja Krishnamoorthi, former deputy

state treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

and candidate for Illinois Comptroller in

=Declined

= *

Melissa Bean Melissa Luburich Bean (born January 22, 1962) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2005 to 2011. Bean is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life, education, and business career Bean attended Maine East H ...

, former U.S. Representative (endorsed Krishnamoorthi)

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Campaign

Walsh and Duckworth scheduled four debates. The first was held on May 12, 2012 on CLTV, the second on September 14 in West Dundee at Heritage Fest, the third on October 9 on WCPT and

WIND Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...

at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows, open to 8th district residents. The fourth was held on October 18 on

WTTW WTTW (channel 11) is a PBS member television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by not-for-profit broadcaster Window to the World Communications, Inc., it is sister to commercial classical music radio station WFMT (98.7 FM). The ...

’s ''

Chicago Tonight ''Chicago Tonight'' is a television news program broadcast weeknights on WTTW in Chicago. It reports primarily on local politics, education, business, culture, science and health, with a mix of in-studio panel discussions, one-on-one interviews ...

''.

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 9

Democrat

Jan Schakowsky Janice Schakowsky ( ; née Danoff; born May 26, 1944) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...

, who had represented the 9th district since 1999, sought re-election. Robert Dold, who was first elected to represent the 10th district in

, lives in the new 9th district, but sought re-election in the 10th.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Simon Ribeiro,

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

teacher and

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

nominee for this seat in

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Timothy Wolfe,

=Withdrawn

= *Ron Wallace, Niles Township Republican Committeeman

=Declined

= * Robert Dold, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 10th district

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 10

Bob Dold, who was first elected to represent the 10th district in

, sought re-election. Dold no longer lives in the redrawn district, but would move into the district if he won re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bob Dold, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Brad Schneider Bradley Scott Schneider (born August 20, 1961) is an American businessman and politician who became the U.S. representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district in 2017, previously holding the position from 2013 to 2015. Before he was elec ...

, management consultant

=Eliminated in primary

= * Vivek Bavda, attorney *

Ilya Sheyman Ilya Sheyman (born June 1, 1986) is a community organizer, formerly Executive Director of MoveOn Political Action, a candidate for for the United States House of Representatives elections, 2012, and is currently the CEO of The Good Food Institute ...

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

John Tree Major General John Tree is an American business owner and a major general in the United States Air Force Reserve, currently serving as the Senior Reservist (Mobilization Assistant) to the Air Force Chief of Staff at the Pentagon in Washington DC. ...

, business executive and

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

U.S. Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...

=Withdrawn

= *Bob McKenzie, lawyer

=Disqualified

= * Aloys Rutagwibira, mathematician and

basketball coach Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behavior of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as wel ...

=Declined

= *

Susan Garrett Susan Garrett is a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, who represented the 29th District from 2003 to 2013, and the 59th district of the Illinois House of Representatives for four years previously. The 29th district includes all or ...

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Carol Sente Carol Sente (born July 10, 1961) is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 59th Representative District from September 2009 until January 2019.State Journal-Register, 2009, "Carol Sente sworn in as ...

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 11

The newly drawn 11th district is the successor to the old 13th District, which has been represented by Republican

since 1999. While the reconfigured district contains half of Biggert's former territory, it was made significantly more Democratic than before. It now includes the Democratic-leaning areas of Joliet and Aurora. Biggert's home in Hinsdale was drawn into the 6th District, but she sought reelection in this district.

Republican primary

Biggert won the primary against nominal write-in opposition from Harris.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *Diane Harris, notary public

=Disqualified

= *Jack Cunningham, Kane County Clerk

=Declined

= *Chris Balkema, member of the Grundy County Board *Richard Irvin, Aurora

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

* Chris Lauzen,

(running for Kane County Board Chairman)

Endorsements

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bill Foster, former U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * James Hickey, president of the Orland Fire Protection District * Juan Thomas, former Aurora Township clerk

=Declined

= *John Atkinson,

executive and health care

Linda Chapa LaVia Linda Chapa LaVia (born August 16, 1966) was a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 83rd District from 2003 until 2019, when she retired to accept an appointment to the cabinet of Illinois Governor J.B. Pr ...

* Linda Holmes,

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 12

Democrat

Jerry Costello Jerry Francis Costello (born September 25, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for . He previously represented and served in the US House from 1988 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was the dean of Il ...

, who had represented the 12th district since 1988, decided to retire rather than run for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Brad Harriman, St. Clair County Regional Superintendent

=Eliminated in primary

= * Kenneth Wiezer, retired carpenter

=Withdrawn

= * Chris Miller, Illinois political director of the Truman National Security Project and

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

U.S. Army veteran

=Declined

= * John Baricevic, St. Clair County Chief Judge *

John E. Bradley John Bradley (born May 10, 1971) is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 117th District from his appointment in June 2003 to his resignation in January 2017. He served as an Assistant Majority Lea ...

*Ann Callis, Madison County Chief Judge * James Clayborne, Jr.,

, incumbent U.S. Representative *

Jerry Costello II Jerry Costello (born February 13, 1969) is the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Prior, he served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. until his resignation in May 2019. He is a member of the ...

, state representative and Jerry Costello's eldest son * Bill Haine, state senator * Tom Holbrook, state representative * Jay C. Hoffman, former state representative *Brendan Kelly, St. Clair County State's Attorney *Mark Kern, St. Clair County Board Chairman *Matt Melucci, Madison County Circuit Clerk *

Sheila Simon Sheila J. Simon (born March 13, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, from 2011 to 2015. In 2014, she was the Democratic nominee for Illinois State Comptroller, losing to Republican incumbent Jud ...

, incumbent

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Campaign

Miller ended his campaign in February 2012 and endorsed Harriman (but remained on the primary ballot).

Endorsements

Primary results

In May 2012, however, Harriman dropped out of the race because of an illness; that left the decision of whom to name as a replacement candidate up to a committee that included the 12 Democratic county chairmen in the district and Rep. Costello. The committee unanimously selected

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

(ret.) and Adjutant General of Illinois William Enyart as the replacement nominee on June 23.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Jason Plummer Jason Robert Plummer (3 March 1969 – 15 November 2021) was an Australian freestyle swimmer, who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Plummer was a member of the St. Peters Swim Club in Brisbane. At the 1985 National Championship ...

, chairman of the Madison County Republican Party and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in

=Eliminated in primary

= * Rodger Cook, former Mayor of Belleville * Theresa Kormos, nurse and candidate for this seat in

=Disqualified

= * Teri Newman, businesswoman and nominee for this seat in

=Declined

= * Mike Bost, state representative

Endorsements

Primary results

Green primary

Paula Bradshaw, a registered nurse, ran as the Green Party nominee.

Independents

Retha Daugherty, a small-business owner and resident of Carbondale, had announced her intentions to be on the ballot as an Independent candidate, but had to drop her bid in April 2012 because of a change in state election law.

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 13

The new 13th is the successor to the old 15th District, represented by Republican Tim Johnson since 2001.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Tim Johnson, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Michael Firsching, veterinarian * Frank Metzger, retired

ironworker An ironworker is a tradesman who works in the iron-working industry. Ironworkers assemble the structural framework in accordance with engineered drawings and install the metal support pieces for new buildings. They also repair and renovate o ...

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican convention

Although Johnson won the primary, in April 2012, he chose to retire rather than seek re-election. A convention was held on May 19, 2012, to choose a replacement nominee. The 14 GOP county chairmen in the district unanimously selected Rodney Davis as the party nominee.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Rodney L. Davis Rodney Lee Davis (born January 5, 1970) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who has been the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Illinois's 13th congressional district since 2013. E ...

, aide to U.S. Representative John Shimkus

=Eliminated at the convention

= * Jerry Clarke, chief of staff to U.S. Representative

Randy Hultgren Randall Mark Hultgren (; born March 1, 1966) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. Hultgren represented the 48th district Senate seat in the Illinois Gener ...

and Johnson's former chief of staff *

Erika Harold Erika Natalie Louise Harold (born February 20, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and former Miss America. Harold was Miss Illinois 2002 and Miss America 2003. Her pageant platform was combating bullying. In 2014, she was a candidate ...

, lawyer and 2003

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

* Kathy Wassink, businesswoman.

=Declined

= * Jason Barickman,

*Phil Bloomer, Johnson's communications director * Bill Brady,

and nominee for Governor in

* Dan Brady, state representative * Adam Brown, state representative *

Sam McCann William "Sam" McCann Jr. (born November 4, 1969) is an American politician who was a member of the Illinois Senate from 2011 to 2019. He was first elected in 2010 as a Republican in the 49th district, defeating incumbent Democrat Deanna Demuzio, ...

, state senator * Kyle McCarter, state senator *

Duane Noland N. Duane Noland (born September 12, 1956) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a Republican member of the Illinois General Assembly first in the Illinois House of Representatives and later in the Illinois Senate. Biography Born in ...

, former state senator *

Chapin Rose Chapin Rose (born December 17, 1973) is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 51st district since January 2013. The 51st district includes all or parts of McLean, DeWitt, Macon, Piatt, Shelby, Moultrie, Douglas, Champ ...

, state representative *Mark Shelden, Johnson's current chief of staff *

Mike Tate Mike Tate (born 1 April 1995) is a Canadian long-distance runner. In 2019, he competed in the senior men's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark. He finished in 108th place. In 2019, he finished in 7th p ...

, CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois and former state Representative * Jim Watson, state representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *David Gill, physician and nominee for the 15th district in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

=Eliminated in primary

= * Matt Goetten, Greene County

State attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

=Withdrawn

= *James Gray, retired school administrator

=Declined

= *

Mike Frerichs Michael W. Frerichs (; born July 28, 1973) is an American politician serving his third term as the State Treasurer of Illinois, after first taking office on January 12, 2015. Before being elected treasurer, he was a Democratic member of the I ...

, state senator * Jay Hoffman, former

*Mark N. Lee, labor lawyer *Brendan McGinty, Champaign County Board member

Endorsements

Primary results

Independent

John Hartman, a medical technology company CFO, ran as an independent candidate.

General election

Endorsements

Polling

; With Jerry Clarke ; With Generic Democratic

Results

District 14

The redrawn 14th district includes McHenry County and parts of DuPage, Kane, Kendall,

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, and

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

counties. Republican

, who was first elected to represent the 14th district in

, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Declined

= * Joe Walsh, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 8th district

Primary results

Democratic primary

Bill Foster, a Democrat who represented the 14th district from 2008 until 2011, decided to run in the 11th district in 2012, although some

leaders had hoped he would run in the 14th district, where his home is located.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Dennis Anderson, public health researcher and International Breast Cancer Research Foundation trustee

=Eliminated in primary

= * Jonathan Farnick, computer support technician

=Declined

= * Jack Franks, state representative *Frank McClatchey, former McHenry

and former chairman of the McHenry County

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 15

Republican John Shimkus, who had represented the now-obsolete 19th district since 2003 and represented the 20th district (eliminated after redistricting following the 2000 Census) from 1997 until 2003, sought re-election in the new 15th district.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * John Shimkus, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Angela Michael, retired nurse

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 16

In redistricting, the 16th district was moved south to incorporate

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

and

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

Counties and parts of Ford County. Republican U.S. Representatives Adam Kinzinger, who had represented the 11th district since January 2011, and

Don Manzullo Donald Anthony Manzullo (born March 24, 1944) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for , from 1993 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party. From 2001 to 2007 he served as Chairman of the Comm ...

, who had represented the 16th district since 1993, sought re-election in the new 16th district.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Adam Kinzinger, incumbent U.S. Representative from the 11th district

=Eliminated in primary

= * Don Manzullo, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Declined

= *Frank Gambino, majority leader of the Winnebago County Board however, he announced in September 2011 that he would instead run for the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

Endorsements

Polling

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Wanda Rohl, social worker

Independents

Bronco Bojovic, a businessman, had planned to run as an

candidate but dropped out of the race in February 2012.

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 17

The 17th district, based in Rock Island and Moline, was extended to include most of Rockford and the more Democratic areas of Peoria and Tazewell County, thereby making it more favorable to Democrats. Republican Bobby Schilling, who had represented the district since January 2011, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bobby Schilling, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Cheri Bustos,

East Moline East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,374 at the 2020 census. East Moline is part of the Quad Cities, along with the cities of Rock Island, Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bett ...

alderwoman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members th ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Greg Aguilar, director of multicultural services at

Augustana College Augustana College may refer to: *Augustana College (Illinois) *Augustana University Sioux Falls, South Dakota *Augustana University College, Alberta See also *Augustana Divinity School (Neuendettelsau) The Augustana-Hochschule Neuendettelsau is ...

* George Gaulrapp, Mayor of

Freeport Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to: Places United States *Freeport, California *Freeport, Florida *Freeport, Illinois *Freeport, Indiana *Freeport, Iowa *Freeport, Kansas *Freeport, Maine, a New England town **Freeport (CDP), Maine, the ...

=Withdrawn

= *Eric Reyes, attorney

=Declined

= * Mike Boland, former

Phil Hare Philip Gary Hare (born February 21, 1949) is an American politician who was United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. ...

, former U.S. Representative *

Dave Koehler David Koehler (born December 16, 1948) is a Democratic politician from Illinois, and has been the Illinois State Senator from 46th Legislative District since December 2006. The district includes Canton, East Peoria, Fairview, Lewistown, Maple ...

*Porter McNeill, activist *

Mark Schwiebert Mark William Schwiebert (born August 2, 1950) is the former Mayor of the City of Rock Island, Illinois from May 1989 until May 2009. Prior to his election as Rock Island Mayor, Schwiebert served the people of his City as an attorney and City Coun ...

, former Mayor of Rock Island

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 18

Republican Aaron Schock, who had represented the 18th district since 2009, ran for and won re-election. The district was one of two which were expected to remain strongly favorable to Republicans. Peoria's more Democratic southern portion was shifted to the 17th District, and was replaced by the heavily Republican Bloomington-Normal and Quincy areas.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Aaron Schock, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Disqualified

= *Darrel Miller, farmer but was removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections in February 2012.

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Steve Waterworth, farmer and former master sergeant in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

and

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Matthew Woodmancy, restaurant manager

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

References

External links

Illinois State Board of Elections

Official candidate list, Primary Election

Official candidate list, General Election

Find your current district by address or zip+4

Find your new district by address or mapVote 2012: Meet the Candidates
ABC 7 Chicago, video statements and questionnaire answers
Candidate issue positions
at On the Issues
United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2012
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Illinois U.S. House
from OurCampaigns.com
Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Illinois
from

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

Outside spending
at the

Sunlight Foundation The Sunlight Foundation was an American 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocated for open government. The organization was founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States ...

Illinois Redistricting
at Illinois House Democrats official website {{2012 United States elections

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

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 ...