PolitiFinder

1976 Illinois U.S. House District 17 Election

Illinois · 2 candidates · See every 1976 U.S. House race

Who won the 1976 Illinois U.S. House District 17 Election?

George M. O'Brien won the 1976 Illinois U.S. House District 17 Election. George M. O'Brien received 113,145 popular votes (58.21%). The main challenger was Merlin Karlock (41.79%).

See the full head-to-head between O'Brien and Karlock

O'Brien +16.4 pts · won by 31,925 votes
George M. O'BrienRepublicanWINNER58.21%
113,145 votes
Merlin KarlockDemocratic41.79%
81,220 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. House elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.