The general election ballots in Illinois are set after the spring primaries on St. Patrick’s Day.  This includes key statewide races for governor and the U.S. Senate.  Shifts in campaign funding and legislative maps for both the U.S. Congress and the Illinois General Assembly are seen to have much to do with the March election outcomes.  

Dr. Kent Redfield is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois-Springfield.  He says the major donors to Republican gubernatorial candidates in past candidates have not turned up this time. 

On the Democratic side, Julianna Stratton and Margaret Croke won the primaries for U.S. Senate and Illinois Comptroller, respectively.  Governor JB Pritzker endorsed both candidates.  Dr. Redfield says the results boosted Pritzker’s standing in a possible presidential run, but not as much as it would have dropped had they not both won. 

The governor is also running this year to keep his spot against the challenge of Darren Bailey, who won the Republican nomination.  While Bailey won downstate areas solidly in the primary, he will likely need a significant boost in the Chicagoland area to win the general election. 

More information on elections in Illinois is available at the Illinois State Board of Elections website, elections.il.gov.  More information on UIS’s political science program is available at www.uis.edu/spia.

Dr. Kent Redfield appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.