Biggest governor landslides in Illinois
The biggest landslide in a Illinois governor’s race was in 1848, a margin of 79.5 points. Augustus C. French beat W. L. D. Morrison, 67,828 to 5,659. Next widest are 1976 (30.0 points) and 1994 (29.4 points).
Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race Illinois has held, special elections included, see the Illinois governor hub.
What is the biggest landslide in a Illinois governor’s race?
The widest margin in a Illinois gubernatorial general election came in 1848, 79.5 points. Augustus C. French beat W. L. D. Morrison, 67,828 to 5,659. Next are 1976 (30.0 points) and 1994 (29.4 points).
Why do some huge wins not appear?
A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.
Does this include recalls and special elections?
No, only regular general elections for governor. The Illinois governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.
| # | Election | Result | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1848 | Augustus C. French D def. W. L. D. Morrison W | 67,828 – 5,659 | +79.5 points |
| 2 | 1976 | Jim Thompson R def. Michael Howlett D | 3,000,395 – 1,610,258 | +30.0 points |
| 3 | 1994 | Jim Edgar R def. Dawn Clark Netsch D | 1,984,318 – 1,069,850 | +29.4 points |
| 4 | 1904 | Charles S. Deneen R def. Lawrence B. Stringer D | 634,029 – 334,880 | +27.9 points |
| 5 | 1920 | Len Small R def. J. Hamilton Lewis D | 1,243,148 – 731,541 | +24.2 points |
| 6 | 1834 | Joseph Duncan D def. William Kinney D | 17,349 – 10,229 | +21.7 points |
| 7 | 1846 | Augustus C. French D def. Thomas M. Kilpatrick W | 58,657 – 37,033 | +21.5 points |
| 8 | 1978 | Jim Thompson R def. Michael Bakalis D | 1,859,684 – 1,263,134 | +18.9 points |
| 9 | 1830 | John Reynolds D def. William Kinney D | 12,837 – 8,938 | +17.9 points |
| 10 | 1932 | Henry Horner D def. Len Small R | 1,930,330 – 1,364,043 | +16.9 points |
| 11 | 2018 | JB Pritzker D def. Bruce Rauner R | 2,479,746 – 1,765,751 | +15.7 points |
| 12 | 1948 | Adlai Stevenson D def. Dwight H. Green R | 2,250,074 – 1,678,007 | +14.5 points |
| 13 | 1924 | Len Small R def. Norman L. Jones D | 1,366,446 – 1,021,408 | +14.3 points |
| 14 | 1928 | Louis Lincoln Emmerson R def. Floyd E. Thompson D | 1,709,818 – 1,284,897 | +14.1 points |
| 15 | 1986 | Jim Thompson R def. Adlai Stevenson III S | 1,655,849 – 1,256,626 | +12.7 points |
| 16 | 2022 | JB Pritzker D def. Darren Bailey R | 2,253,748 – 1,739,095 | +12.5 points |
| 17 | 1960 | Otto Kerner Jr. D def. William Stratton R | 2,594,731 – 2,070,479 | +11.2 points |
| 18 | 1868 | John M Palmer R def. John R. Eden D | 249,912 – 199,813 | +11.2 points |
| 19 | 1912 | Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne D def. Charles S. Deneen R | 443,120 – 318,469 | +10.7 points |
| 20 | 1852 | Joel Aldrich Matteson D def. Edwin B. Webb W | 80,789 – 64,408 | +10.6 points |
| 21 | 1916 | Frank Orren Lowden R def. Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne D | 696,535 – 556,654 | +10.6 points |
| 22 | 2006 | Rod Blagojevich D def. Judy Baar Topinka R | 1,736,731 – 1,369,315 | +10.5 points |
| 23 | 1896 | John Riley Tanner R def. John Peter Altgeld D | 587,637 – 474,256 | +10.4 points |
| 24 | 1936 | Henry Horner D def. C. Wayland Brooks R | 2,067,861 – 1,682,685 | +9.9 points |
| 25 | 1872 | Richard J Oglesby R def. Gustavus Koerner R | 237,774 – 197,084 | +9.3 points |