The 2010 United States Senate elections in Illinois took place on November 2, 2010. There were two ballot items for the same seat: a general election, to fill the Class 3 seat beginning with the 112th United States Congress beginning on January 3, 2011, and a special election, to fill that seat for the final weeks of the 111th Congress. Roland Burris, who was appointed to fill the vacancy created by fellow Democrat Barack Obama's election to the presidency, did not run in either election.
November 2, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 49.35% | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Kirk: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Giannoulias: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||
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The elections took place alongside 33 other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections in Illinois and other states. The registered party primaries for the full term took place on February 2, 2010, the earliest state primary elections: Republicans nominated U.S. Representative Mark Kirk, Democrats nominated State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, and the Green Party nominated journalist LeAlan Jones. The Constitution Party and Libertarian Party submitted signatures to be on the ballot but were challenged; the result of the ensuing hearings was the Constitution Party's candidate being denied placement on the ballot but the Libertarian Party's candidate Michael Labno given ballot access.
On August 2, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled that the candidates appearing on the ballot for the replacement election would be the ones of the regular election, and that the special election would appear after the general election on the ballot. Kirk won both elections and was sworn in on November 29, 2010, resigning his House seat the same day. As of 2025, this was the last time that Republicans won an Illinois U.S. Senate election, and the last time the winner won a majority of counties in the state.
Background
Barack Obama, the former United States Senator holding this seat, was elected President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and subsequently resigned from the Senate on November 16, 2008. Illinois law provides for the Governor of Illinois, then Rod Blagojevich, to appoint replacements for Senate vacancies.
Burris' appointment
On December 9, 2008, the FBI arrested Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) on various corruption charges, most notably allegations that he attempted to sell the appointment to the vacant U.S. Senate seat. On December 31, 2008, Blagojevich nevertheless appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the vacancy. After initially seeking to exclude Burris, Senate Democrats relented, and Burris was seated on January 15, 2009.
Burris later declined to run for election.
For the state-run primary elections (Democratic, Republican, and Green), turnout was 21.74%, with 1,652,202 votes cast.
For the general election, the special election saw a turnout of 47.24%, with 3,545,984 votes cast and the regularly scheduled election saw a turnout of 49.35% with 3,704,473 votes cast.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois Treasurer
- David H. Hoffman, Chicago inspector general
- Cheryle Jackson, President of the Chicago Urban League
- Robert Marshall, doctor
- Jacob Meister, attorney.
Campaign
Incumbent Senator Roland Burris did not run for a full term in 2010. Burris suffered from poor approval ratings and was investigated by the Sangamon County, Illinois State's Attorney for perjury. Although no criminal charges were filed against him, Burris faced an investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee.
Jacob Meister withdrew from campaigning and declared his support for Alexi Giannoulias on January 31, two days before the February 2 election.
Finances
| Candidate | Cash on hand |
|---|---|
| Alexi Giannoulias | $2,429,549 |
| Jacob Meister | $1,040,242 |
| David Hoffman | $836,958 |
| Cheryle Jackson | $317,828 |
| Rob Marshall | $1,000 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Alexi Giannoulias | Cheryle Jackson | David Hoffman | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Politico (report) | August 9, 2009 | 51% | 21% | — | — | — |
| Chicago Tribune (report) | December 2–8, 2009 | 31% | 17% | 9% | 4% | — |
| Chicago Tribune (report) | January 16–20, 2010 | 34% | 19% | 16% | 4% | 26% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alexi Giannoulias | 351,120 | 38.9% | |
| Democratic | David Hoffman | 303,719 | 33.7% | |
| Democratic | Cheryle Jackson | 178,941 | 19.8% | |
| Democratic | Robert Marshall | 51,606 | 5.7% | |
| Democratic | Jacob Meister | 16,232 | 1.8% | |
| Total votes | 901,618 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- John Arrington, former Harvey alderman
- Patrick Hughes, Chairman of Sensible Taxpayers Opposed to Increased Taxes
- Mark Kirk, U.S. Representative for Illinois's 10th district
- Donald Lowery, former Pope County Judge
- Andy Martin, perennial candidate
- Kathleen Thomas, professor
Finances
| Candidate | Cash on Hand |
|---|---|
| Mark Kirk | $2,213,890 |
| Patrick Hughes | $340,048 |
| Don Lowery | $2,077 |
| John Arrington | $1,540 |
| Kathleen Thomas | $1,271 |
| Andy Martin | $0 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Mark Kirk | Patrick Hughes | Don Lowery | Kathleen Thomas | John Arrington | Andy Martin | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magellan Data (report) | October 8, 2009 | 61% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 1% | — | — |
| Chicago Tribune (report) | December 2–8, 2009 | 41% | 3% | 1% | 3% | 2% | 1% | — |
| Chicago Tribune (report) | January 16–20, 2010 | 47% | 8% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 35% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Kirk | 420,373 | 56.6 | |
| Republican | Patrick Hughes | 142,928 | 19.3 | |
| Republican | Donald Lowery | 66,357 | 8.9 | |
| Republican | Kathleen Thomas | 54,038 | 7.3 | |
| Republican | Andy Martin | 37,480 | 5.0 | |
| Republican | John Arrington | 21,090 | 2.8 | |
| Republican | Patricia Beard | 2 | .0003 | |
| Total votes | 742,268 | 100.0% | ||
Green primary
Candidates
- LeAlan Jones, broadcaster, football coach, and lecturer
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | LeAlan Jones | 5,161 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 5,161 | 100% | ||
General elections
Candidates
- Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois Treasurer (Democratic)
- Mark Kirk, U.S. Representative (Republican)
- LeAlan Jones, broadcaster, football coach, and lecturer (Green)
- Michael Labno, electrical project construction manager (Libertarian) (campaign site, PVS)
- Corey Dabney (write-in)
- Robert Zadek (write-in) broker (campaign site Archived February 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine)
- Will Boyd (write-in), Greenville City Councilman, pastor and former college dean (campaign site)
- Lowell Martin Seida (Write-in), Westchester UIC Dragon Boat coach, salvage diver, computerist
Campaign
A self-described "fiscal conservative and social moderate," Republican nominee Mark Kirk based his campaign on reform and compared the race to Republican Scott Brown's election to the Senate in February 2010. In addition, Kirk immediately criticized his Democratic opponent for his management of Bright Start, an Illinois 529 college savings program and his work at Broadway Bank. Immediately after the primary, the National Republican Senatorial Committee aired a web ad comparing Giannoulias to the fictional character Tony Soprano. Politifact ranked Kirk's references to the mob as "Half True". Republican U.S. Senator Scott Brown campaigned for Kirk in Illinois. Kimberly Vertolli, Kirk's ex-wife, signed on as an advisor to Mark Kirk's campaign, but didn't support his more conservative platform.
On February 4, 2010, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias revealed his campaign strategy, saying "come November, Congressman, your days as a Washington insider are over." On July 19, 2010, Giannoulias announced that he had raised $900,000 in the quarter that ended June 30, compared to $2.3 million raised by Kirk. The Giannoulias campaign also announced that President Obama was scheduled to attend an August 5 fundraiser for his candidate in Chicago.
Kirk and Giannoulias disagreed mostly on fiscal and foreign policy. Kirk voted against Obama's Stimulus package and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As a Congressman, Kirk originally voted for cap and trade but during the primary campaign announced that if elected a Senator he would vote against it. Giannoulias strongly supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Obama's stimulus. Kirk opposed the building of the Park 51 Islamic center near Ground Zero of New York City, while Giannoulias stated that "Americans must stand up for freedom of religion even when it's difficult."
Libertarian nominee Michael Labno was added to the ballot by the Illinois State Board of Elections after gaining ballot access by means of citizen petition. Labno, an electrical project construction manager and recruiter for Private Security Union Local 21 ran on a platform of downsizing or cutting some Federal agencies and reducing taxes and government regulations. He also supported allowing citizens to opt out of Social Security. Labno is pro-life and supports 2nd Amendment rights. In August 2010, Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias declared Labno a legitimate challenge from the right for Mark Kirk. Labno responded on his Facebook fan page, saying "This is very true Alexi, and you should be afraid too." Labno attended the September 18, 2010 Right Nation rally in Hoffman Estates, Illinois headlined by conservative media figure Glenn Beck. While greeting attendees Labno noted that Republican candidate Kirk did not attend. On August 27 the Illinois Board of Elections approved the Libertarian Party's petition to include its candidates on the ballot.
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report | Tossup | October 26, 2010 |
| Rothenberg | Tilt R (flip) | October 22, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics | Tossup | October 26, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean R (flip) | October 21, 2010 |
| CQ Politics | Tossup | October 26, 2010 |
Debates
Kirk and Giannoulias debates (other candidates were not invited):
- October 10: Nationwide audience on Meet the Press on NBC.
- October 19: Sponsored by League of Women Voters on ABC News.
Jones and Labno debate:
- Hosted by WBEZ held in Chicago.
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Alexi Giannoulias (D) | Mark Kirk (R) | LeAlan Jones (G) | Mike Labno (L) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000 (report) | January 26–28, 2009 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 38% | 30% | — | — | — | 32% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | August 11, 2009 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 38% | 41% | — | — | 4% | 17% |
| Magellan Data (report) | October 9, 2009 | — | ± 3.1% | 35% | 42% | — | — | — | 23% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 14, 2009 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 41% | 41% | — | — | 4% | 13% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | December 9, 2009 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 42% | 39% | — | — | 3% | 15% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | January 22–25, 2010 | 1,062 | ± 3.0% | 42% | 34% | — | — | — | 24% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | February 3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 40% | 46% | — | — | 4% | 10% |
| Research 2000 (report) | February 22–24, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 36% | — | — | 2% | 19% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 8, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 44% | 41% | — | — | 5% | 10% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | April 1–5, 2010 | 591 | ± 4.0% | 33% | 37% | — | — | — | 30% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | April 5, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 37% | 41% | — | — | 8% | 13% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | April 28, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 38% | 46% | — | — | 5% | 12% |
| Research 2000 (report) | May 3–5, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 38% | 41% | — | — | — | 21% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | June 7, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 39% | 42% | — | — | 7% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | June 12–13, 2010 | 552 | ± 4.2% | 31% | 30% | 14% | — | — | 24% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | July 7, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 40% | 39% | — | — | 9% | 12% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | July 28, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 41% | — | — | 6% | 10% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | August 11, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 40% | 40% | — | — | 8% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | August 14–15, 2010 | 576 | ± 4.1% | 37% | 35% | 9% | — | — | 19% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | August 23, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 42% | 40% | — | — | 6% | 12% |
| Chicago Tribune ([1]) | September 2, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 34% | 34% | 6% | 3% | — | 22% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | September 7, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 37% | 41% | 9% | — | 5% | 9% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | September 21, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 41% | 44% | 4% | — | 4% | 8% |
| Public Polling Policy (report) | September 23–26, 2010 | 470 | ± 4.5% | 36% | 40% | 8% | 3% | — | 13% |
| Chicago Tribune (report) | September 24–28, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 38% | 36% | 5% | 3% | — | 17% |
| Suffolk University (report Archived October 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine) | September 30 – October 3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.0% | 41% | 42% | 4% | 3% | — | 10% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 4, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 41% | 45% | 4% | — | 5% | 6% |
| The Simon Poll/SIU (report) | September 30 – October 10, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.5% | 37% | 37% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 18% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 11, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 44% | 43% | 4% | — | 7% | 2% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | October 14–16, 2010 | 557 | ± 4.2% | 40% | 42% | 4% | 3% | — | 10% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 18, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 40% | 44% | 4% | — | 8% | 5% |
| Mason-Dixon (report) | October 18–20, 2010 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 41% | 43% | — | — | — | 16% |
| Chicago Tribune/WGN (report) | October 18–22, 2010 | 700 | ± 4.0% | 41% | 44% | 5% | 4% | — | 7% |
| Fox News/Pulse Opinion Research (report) | October 23, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 41% | 43% | 7% | 2% | — | 7% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 26, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 42% | 46% | 5% | — | 5% | 2% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | October 30–31, 2010 | 814 | ± 3.4% | 42% | 46% | 5% | 3% | 3% | 7% |
Fundraising
| Candidate (Party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash On Hand | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Kirk (R) | $14,349,624 | $13,602,888 | $826,604 | $0 |
| Alexi Giannoulias (D) | $10,017,446 | $9,829,642 | $115,826 | $65,800 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission | ||||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Kirk | 1,677,729 | 47.31% | +20.26% | |
| Democratic | Alexi Giannoulias | 1,641,486 | 46.29% | −23.68% | |
| Green | LeAlan Jones | 129,571 | 3.65% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Michael Labno | 95,762 | 2.70% | +1.35% | |
| Write-in | 1,436 | 0.04% | -0.02% | ||
| Total votes | 3,545,984 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Kirk | 1,778,698 | 48.01% | +20.96% | |
| Democratic | Alexi Giannoulias | 1,719,478 | 46.42% | −23.55% | |
| Green | LeAlan Jones | 117,914 | 3.18% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Michael Labno | 87,247 | 2.36% | +1.01% | |
| Write-in | 1,136 | 0.03% | -0.03% | ||
| Total votes | 3,704,473 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Bond (Largest city: Greenville)
- Bureau (Largest city: Princeton)
- Cass (Largest city: Beardstown)
- Christian (Largest city: Taylorville)
- Clinton (Largest city: Breese)
- Coles (Largest city: Charleston)
- DeKalb (Largest city: DeKalb)
- Fayette (Largest city: Vandalia)
- Greene (Largest city: Carrollton)
- Grundy (Largest city: Morris)
- Hamilton (Largest city: McLeansboro)
- Hancock (Largest city: Hamilton)
- Hardin (Largest city: Rosiclare)
- Jefferson (Largest city: Mount Vernon)
- Jersey (Largest city: Jerseyville)
- Jo Daviess (Largest city: Galena)
- Kankakee (Largest city: Kankakee)
- Lawrence (Largest city: Lawrenceville)
- Marion (Largest city: Centralia)
- Marshall (Largest city: Henry)
- Mason (Largest city: Havana)
- McDonough (Largest city: Macomb)
- Moultrie (Largest city: Sullivan)
- Piatt (Largest city: Monticello)
- Pike (Largest city: Pittsfield)
- Pope (Largest city: Golconda)
- Randolph (Largest city: Chester)
- Saline (Largest city: Harrisburg)
- Schuyler (Largest city: Rushville)
- Shelby (Largest city: Shelbyville)
- Union (Largest city: Anna)
- Vermilion (Largest city: Danville)
- Warren (Largest city: Monmouth)
- White (Largest city: Carmi)
- Will (Largest city: Joliet)
- Williamson (Largest city: Marion)
- Winnebago (Largest city: Rockford)
- Franklin (Largest city: West Frankfort)
- Henry (Largest city: Kewanee)
- LaSalle (Largest city: Ottawa)
- Macon (Largest city: Decatur)
- Macoupin (Largest city: Carlinville)
- Montgomery (Largest city: Litchfield)
- Perry (Largest city: Du Quoin)
- Boone (largest city: Belvidere)
- Carroll (largest city: Savanna)
- DuPage (largest city: Aurora)
- Kane (largest city: Aurora)
- Kendall (largest village: Oswego)
- McHenry (largest city: Crystal Lake)
- McLean (largest city: Bloomington)
- Stephenson (largest city: Freeport)
- Adams (largest city: Quincy)
- Brown (largest city: Mount Sterling)
- Cumberland (largest city: Neoga)
- Crawford (largest city: Robinson)
- DeWitt (largest city: Clinton)
- Douglas (largest city: Tuscola)
- Edgar (largest city: Paris)
- Ford (largest city: Paxton)
- Lake (largest city: Waukegan)
- Livingston (largest city: Pontiac)
- Lee (largest city: Dixon)
- Logan (largest city: Lincoln)
- Madison (largest city: Granite City)
- Menard (largest city: Petersburg)
- Mercer (largest city: Aledo)
- Monroe (largest city: Waterloo)
- Morgan (largest city: Jacksonville)
- Ogle (largest city: Rochelle)
- Peoria (largest city: Peoria)
- Putnam (largest city: Hennpin)
- Sangamon (largest city: Springfield)
- Scott (largest city: Winchester)
- Tazewell (largest city: Pekin)
- Washington (largest city: Nashville)
- Calhoun (Largest village: Hardin)
- Fulton (Largest city: Canton)
- Gallatin (Largest city: Shawneetown)
- Henderson (Largest village: Oquawka)
- Knox (Largest city: Galesburg)
- Pulaski (Largest city: Mounds)
- Champaign (largest city: Champaign)
- Rock Island (largest city: Moline)
- Whiteside (largest city: Sterling)
- Woodford (largest city: Eureka)
- Johnson (largest city: Vienna)
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