1978 Illinois Gubernatorial Election

Illinois · 2 candidates · See every 1978 Governor race

Who won the 1978 Illinois Gubernatorial Election?

Jim Thompson won the 1978 Illinois Gubernatorial Election. Jim Thompson received 1,859,684 popular votes (59.04%). The main challenger was Michael Bakalis (40.1%).

See the full head-to-head between Thompson and Bakalis

Thompson +18.9 pts · won by 596,550 votes

Jim Thompson RepublicanWINNER59.04%

1,859,684 votes

Michael Bakalis Democratic40.1%

1,263,134 votes

Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.