The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's 18

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional body. Countries with congressional districts includ ...

, a loss of one seat following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

Primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

s were held on March 20, 2012. Republicans struggled after a strong showing in 2010, losing a total of five seats, one via redistricting, and four via loses by incumbents.

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...

Bob Dold Robert James Dold Jr. (born June 23, 1969) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. Prior to his election, Dold ran his family-ow ...

Judy Biggert Judith Gail Biggert (née Borg; born August 15, 1937) is an American politician and attorney. She is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1999 to 2013. She is a member of the Republican Party. Biggert was defeated in her 2012 re-e ...

, and Bobby Schilling were all defeated in their bids for re-election. Walsh, Dold, and Schilling had all been elected during the wave year of 2010.

Redistricting

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

bill was introduced to the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

by members of the Democratic Party in May 2011. Although Representatives are not required to live within their districts, the new map drew the homes of at least five Republican

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

s into districts where they would have to run against other Republicans, and others into districts which strongly favor Democrats. After an amendment which modified the 13th and 15th districts was passed with Republican support, the new map was passed by the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

on May 30, 2011 and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on May 31.

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Pat Quinn, a Democrat, signed the map into law on June 24. Republican members of the congressional delegation planned to mount a legal challenge.

Overview

District 1

The 1st district, which had been represented by Democrat

Bobby Rush Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician, activist, and pastor who served as the U.S. representative for for three decades, ending in 2023. A civil rights activist during the 1960s, Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter ...

since 1993, had seen a decline in population and so now extends into the

Chicago suburbs The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

and rural areas of

Will County Will County is a county in the northeastern part of the state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 696,355, an increase of 2.8% from 677,560 in 2010, making it Illinois's fourth-most populous county. The county sea ...

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bobby Rush, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Harold Bailey * Raymond Lodato, lecturer in public policy at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

* Clifford Russell Jr., police officer * Jordan Sims, political commentator for an online newspaper * Fred Smith, program director for a youth care agency

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Donald Peloquin, Mayor of

Blue Island Blue Island is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, south of Chicago's Loop. Blue Island is adjacent to the city of Chicago and shares its northern boundary with that city's Morgan Park neighborhood. The population was 22,558 at t ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Frederick Collins, police officer and 2010 candidate for

Cook County Sheriff The Cook County Sheriff is the sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, heading the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Office description Terms are currently four-years in length. Officeholders Election results , - , colspan=21 style="text-align:cent ...

* Jimmy Lee Tillman II, producer

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 2

The new 2nd district stretches from

Kankakee County Kankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,502. Its county seat is Kankakee. Kankakee County comprises the Kankakee, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

, through

and to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Democrat

Jesse Jackson, Jr. Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. (born March 11, 1965) is an American former politician and convicted felon. He served as the U.S. representative from from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of activist a ...

, who had represented the 2nd district since 1999, sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Jesse Jackson Jr., incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *

Debbie Halvorson Deborah L. Halvorson (born March 1, 1958) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until 2011. Previously, she served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 through 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party. ...

, former U.S. Representative

Endorsements

Polling

Primary results

Republican primary

Republican

Adam Kinzinger Adam Daniel Kinzinger (; born February 27, 1978) is an American politician, senior political commentator for CNN, and former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard. He served as a United States representative from Illinois from 2011 to 20 ...

, who was first elected to represent the 11th district in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and now lives in the 2nd district, sought re-election in the 16th district.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Brian Woodworth,

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

Olivet Nazarene University Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a private Nazarene university in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Named for its founding location, Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. In the late 1930 ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * James Taylor Sr., newspaper publisher

=Declined

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 11th district

Endorsements

Primary results

Independents

*Marcus Lewis, postal worker

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Aftermath

Jesse Jackson, Jr. resigned his seat in the 112th Congress on November 21, 2012, and also resigned his seat in the 113th Congress on the same day. As a result, no one was seated in the 113th Congress for the 2nd congressional district, and a special election was called for April, 2013, to fill the vacancy.

District 3

The 3rd district, which had been represented by Democrat

Dan Lipinski Daniel William Lipinski (born July 15, 1966) is an American politician and political scientist who served eight terms as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Illinois's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2021. ...

since 2005, now extends to

Bridgeport, Chicago Bridgeport is one of the 77 community areas in Chicago, on the city's South Side (Chicago), South Side, bounded on the north by the Chicago River#South Branch, South Branch of the Chicago River, on the west by Ashland Avenue, on the south by P ...

and Lockport, Will County. Lipinski sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

executive and health care

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

John Atkinson was expected to challenge incumbent Lipinski, and

raised ''Raised'' is the third studio album by American country artist Hailey Whitters. It was released on March 18, 2022, via a partnership between Big Loud and her own imprint, Pigasus. Background Heavily inspired by her Midwestern upbringing in Iow ...

over $535,000 in the first quarter of 2011, but no longer lives in Lipinski's district. Atkinson had considered instead running in the 11th district, but suspended his campaign on June 14, 2011.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Dan Lipinski, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Farah Baqai, police officer

=Withdrawn

= * John Atkinson,

executive and health care

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Richard Grabowski, manufacturing company supervisor

=Eliminated in primary

= * Jim Falvey, attorney * Arthur J. Jones, insurance sales representative

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 4

The 4th district, which had been represented by Democrat

Luis Gutiérrez Luis Vicente Gutiérrez (born December 10, 1953) is an American politician. He served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2019. From 1986 until his election to United States Congress, Congress, he ...

since 1993, was extended to incorporate Gutiérrez's new home in Portage Park.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *Jorge Zavala, teacher with the

City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago is the public community college system of the Chicago area. Its colleges offer associate degrees, certificates, free courses for the GED, and free English as a second language (ESL) courses. The City Colleges sys ...

Primary results

Republican primary

Héctor Concepción, a former director of the Puerto Rican

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

, had been removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections in January 2012, but since refiled and challenged Gutiérrez as the Republican nominee in the general election.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Héctor Concepción, former director of the Puerto Rican

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 5

The 5th district, which had been represented by Democrat

Mike Quigley Michael Bruce Quigley ( ; born October 17, 1958) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since the April 7, 2009 special election. The district includes most of Chicago's North Side and several of its western suburbs. ...

since 2009, was redrawn to include Franklin Park, Elmwood Park, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, River Grove, Schiller Park and parts of Melrose Park, Stone Park and the North Side of

. Quigley sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Dan Schmitt, self-employed

Primary results

Green primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Nancy Wade, community activist

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 6

The 6th district, which had been represented by Republican

Peter Roskam Peter James Roskam (born September 13, 1961) is an American politician and lobbyist who is the former United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for , serving six terms from 2007 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party ...

since 2007, is one of two districts which were expected to remain strongly favorable to Republicans, although it has been redrawn to include

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

, Barrington, Cary,

Downers Grove Downers Grove is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1832 by Pierce Downer, whose surname serves as the eponym for the village. Per the 2020 census, the population of the village was 50,248. It is a south-west ...

Glen Ellyn Glen Ellyn is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. A suburb located due west of downtown Chicago, the village has a population of 28,846 as of the 2020 Census. History Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lombar ...

, Lake in the Hills,

Lake Zurich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

, South Elgin,

West Chicago West Chicago is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,614 at the 2020 census. It was formerly named Junction and later Turner Junction, after its founder, John Bice Turner, president of the Galena and Chicago Un ...

, Westmont and Wheaton.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Leslie Coolidge,

certified public accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Stat ...

and former partner at

KPMG KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Geoffrey Petzel, small business owner * Maureen E. Yates, retired businesswoman

=Disqualified

= * Tim Ritter, graduate student at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

Endorsements

Primary results

Independents

Khizar Jafri, a traffic analyst, ran as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 7

The 7th district, which had been represented by Democrat Danny K. Davis since 1997, was redrawn to include parts of LaGrange Park and Westchester. Davis sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Danny Davis, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Jacques A. Conway, pastor and retired police officer

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Rita Zak

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 8

Republican

, who was first elected to represent the 8th district in

, ran for re-election despite no longer living within the redrawn boundaries of the district. Walsh had initially decided to run in the redrawn 14th district.

Republican primary

Walsh defeated

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

Robert Canfield, a business owner who had planned to challenge him in the Republican primary before being removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *Robert Canfield, business owner

=Withdrawn

= *Rick Veenstra, DuPage County assistant state attorney

=Disqualified

= *Rich Evans, accountant

=Declined

= * David Harris,

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

*Craig Johnson, Mayor of

Elk Grove Village Elk Grove Village is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 32,812. Located northwest of Chicago along the Golden Corridor, the Village of Elk Grove Village was incorpor ...

*Andrew Palomo, businessman *Darlene Ruscitti,

DuPage County DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...

Superintendent of Education

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Tammy Duckworth Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel serving since 2017 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States ...

, Iraq veteran, former official in the

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

and candidate for the 6th district in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

=Eliminated in primary

= *

Raja Krishnamoorthi Subramanian Raja Krishnamoorthi ( ; born July 19, 1973) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2017. The district includes many of Chicago's western and northwestern suburbs, such as Hoffman Estates, ...

, former deputy

state treasurer In the state and territorial governments of the United States, 54 of the 56 states and territories have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the office of New York State Treasurer in 1926, in which the duties were transfer ...

and candidate for

Illinois Comptroller The Comptroller of Illinois is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. Ten individuals have held the office of Comptroller since the enactment of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, replaci ...

=Declined

= *

Melissa Bean Melissa Bean (née Luburich; born January 22, 1962) is an Americans, American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2005 to 2011. Bean is a member of the Democratic Party (United States ...

, former U.S. Representative (endorsed Krishnamoorthi)

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Campaign

Walsh and Duckworth scheduled four debates. The first was held on May 12, 2012, on CLTV, the second on September 14 in West Dundee at Heritage Fest, the third on October 9 on WCPT and

WIND Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows, open to 8th district residents. The fourth was held on October 18 on

WTTW WTTW (channel 11) is a PBS member television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by not-for-profit broadcaster Window to the World Communications, Inc., it is sister to commercial classical music radio station WFMT (98.7 FM). ...

's ''

Chicago Tonight ''Chicago Tonight'' is a television news program broadcast weeknights on WTTW in Chicago, United States. It reports primarily on local politics, education, business, culture, science, and health, with a mix of in-studio panel discussions, one-o ...

''.

Endorsements

Debates

Complete video of debate
October 18, 2012

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 9

Democrat

Jan Schakowsky Janice Schakowsky ( ; née Danoff; born May 26, 1944) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from since 1999, and she previously served as a member of the Illinois House of Re ...

, who had represented the 9th district since 1999, sought re-election.

Robert Dold Robert James Dold Jr. (born June 23, 1969) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. Prior to his election, Dold ran his family-o ...

, who was first elected to represent the 10th district in

, lives in the new 9th district, but sought re-election in the 10th.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Simon Ribeiro,

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

teacher and

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

nominee for this seat in

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Timothy Wolfe

=Withdrawn

= *Ron Wallace, Niles Township Republican Committeeman

=Declined

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 10th district

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 10

, who was first elected to represent the 10th district in

, sought re-election. Dold no longer lives in the redrawn district, but would move into the district if he won re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Brad Schneider Bradley Scott Schneider (born August 20, 1961) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district since 2017 and also served fro ...

management consultant Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Vivek Bavda, attorney *

Ilya Sheyman Ilya Sheyman (born June 1, 1986) is a community organizer, formerly Executive Director of MoveOn Political Action, a candidate for for the United States House of Representatives elections, 2012, and is currently United States CEO of The Good Foo ...

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community buil ...

* John Tree, business executive and

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the

U.S. Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

=Withdrawn

= *Bob McKenzie, lawyer

=Disqualified

= * Aloys Rutagwibira, mathematician and

basketball coach Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behavior of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as wel ...

=Declined

= *

Susan Garrett Susan Garrett is a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, who represented the 29th District from 2003 to 2013, and the 59th district of the Illinois House of Representatives for four years previously. The 29th district includes all or ...

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

* Carol Sente,

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Debates

Complete video of debate
October 23, 2012

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 11

The newly drawn 11th district is the successor to the old 13th district, which had been represented by Republican

since 1999. While the reconfigured district contains half of Biggert's former territory, it was made significantly more Democratic than before. It now includes the Democratic-leaning areas of Joliet and

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

. Biggert's home in Hinsdale was drawn into the 6th district, but she sought reelection in this district.

Republican primary

Biggert won the primary against nominal write-in opposition from Harris.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *Diane Harris,

notary public A notary public ( notary or public notary; notaries public) of the common law is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with general financial transactions, estates, deeds, powers- ...

=Disqualified

= *Jack Cunningham, Kane County Clerk

=Declined

= *

Chris Balkema Chris Balkema is an American politician and member of the Illinois Senate from the 53rd district. The 53rd district includes all or portions of Bureau, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, LaSalle, Marshall, McLean, Peoria, Putnam, Tazewell, Will, and ...

, member of the Grundy County Board * Richard Irvin, Aurora

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

Chris Lauzen Christopher John Lauzen is an American politician, businessman, and Certified Public Accountant who served as the chairman of the Kane County Board in Illinois from 2012 to 2020. Lauzen was first elected in 2012. He previously served as a Republ ...

(running for Kane County Board Chairman)

Endorsements

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bill Foster, former U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * James Hickey, president of the Orland Fire Protection District * Juan Thomas, former Aurora Township clerk

=Declined

= *John Atkinson,

executive and health care

Linda Chapa LaVia Linda Chapa LaVia (born August 16, 1966) is an American politician and was a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 83rd District from 2003 until 2019, when she retired to accept an appointment to the cabin ...

Linda Holmes Linda Holmes (born March 16, 1959) is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 42nd District since January 2007. The 42nd district includes all or parts of Aurora, Boulder Hill, Montgomery, Naperville, North Aurora and ...

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 12

Democrat

Jerry Costello Jerry Francis Costello (born September 25, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for . He previously represented and served in the US House from 1988 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was the dean of I ...

, who had represented the 12th district since 1988, decided to retire rather than run for re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Brad Harriman, St. Clair County Regional Superintendent

=Eliminated in primary

= * Kenneth Wiezer, retired carpenter

=Withdrawn

= * Chris Miller, Illinois political director of the

Truman National Security Project The Truman National Security Project is a United States national security and leadership development organization based in Washington, D.C. The Truman Project's stated mission is to develop smart national security solutions that reinforce strong, e ...

and

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

veteran

=Declined

= * John Baricevic, St. Clair County Chief Judge * John E. Bradley,

*Ann Callis, Madison County Chief Judge * James Clayborne, Jr.,

, incumbent U.S. Representative * Jerry Costello II, state representative and Jerry Costello's eldest son * Bill Haine, state senator * Jay C. Hoffman, former state representative * Tom Holbrook, state representative *Brendan Kelly, St. Clair County State's Attorney *Mark Kern, St. Clair County Board Chairman *Matt Melucci, Madison County Circuit Clerk * Sheila Simon, incumbent

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Campaign

Miller ended his campaign in February 2012 and endorsed Harriman (but remained on the primary ballot).

Endorsements

Primary results

In May 2012, Harriman dropped out of the race because of an illness; that left the decision of whom to name as a replacement candidate up to a committee that included the 12 Democratic county chairmen in the district and Rep. Costello. The committee unanimously selected Major General (ret.) and

Adjutant General of Illinois The adjutant general of Illinois is the senior officer of the Illinois Army National Guard, Illinois Air National Guard, and state defense forces of Illinois. The Illinois Naval Militia was also part of the adjutant general's command, until it was ...

William Enyart William Lee Enyart Jr. (; born September 22, 1949) is an American general and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 12th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, Enyart was elected on November 6, 2012, ...

as the replacement nominee on June 23.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Jason Plummer Jason Robert Plummer (3 March 1969 – 15 November 2021) was an Australian Freestyle swimming, freestyle swimming (sport), swimmer, who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Plummer was a member of the St. Peters Swim Club in Brisban ...

, chairman of the Madison County Republican Party and nominee for lieutenant governor in

=Eliminated in primary

= * Rodger Cook, former mayor of Belleville * Theresa Kormos, nurse and candidate for this seat in

=Disqualified

= * Teri Newman, businesswoman and nominee for this seat in

=Declined

= *

Mike Bost Michael Joseph Bost ( ; born December 30, 1960) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he has served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 12th congressional district since 2015. From 19 ...

, state representative

Endorsements

Primary results

Green primary

Paula Bradshaw, a registered nurse, ran as the Green Party nominee.

Independents

Retha Daugherty, a small-business owner and resident of Carbondale, had announced her intentions to be on the ballot as an independent candidate, but had to drop her bid in April 2012 because of a change in state election law.

General election

Endorsements

Debates

Complete video of debate
September 20, 2012

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 13

The new 13th is the successor to the old 15th District, represented by Republican Tim Johnson since 2001.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Tim Johnson, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Michael Firsching, veterinarian * Frank Metzger, retired

ironworker An ironworker is a tradesman who works in the iron-working industry. Ironworkers assemble the structural framework in accordance with engineered drawings and install the metal support pieces for new buildings. They also repair and renovate o ...

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican convention

Although Johnson won the primary, in April 2012, he chose to retire rather than seek re-election. A convention was held on May 19, 2012, to choose a replacement nominee. The 14 GOP county chairmen in the district unanimously selected Rodney Davis as the party nominee.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Rodney L. Davis Rodney Lee Davis (born January 5, 1970) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 13th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. Davis's tenure ended when redistricting led to a primary race in ...

, aide to U.S. Representative

John Shimkus John Mondy Shimkus (, born February 21, 1958) is an American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from 1997 to 2021, representing the 20th, 19th and 15th congressional districts of Illinois. Shi ...

=Eliminated at the convention

= * Jerry Clarke, chief of staff to U.S. Representative

Randy Hultgren Randall Mark Hultgren (; born March 1, 1966) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. Hultgren represented the 48th district Senate seat in the Illinois Gener ...

and Johnson's former chief of staff *

Erika Harold Erika Natalie Louise Harold (born February 20, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and former Miss America. Harold was Miss Illinois 2002 and Miss America 2003. Her pageant platform was combating bullying. In 2014, she was a candidate ...

, lawyer and 2003

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

* Kathy Wassink, businesswoman.

=Declined

= *

Jason Barickman Jason Barickman (born May 1, 1975), is a Republican former member of the Illinois Senate, who represented the 53rd district from January 2013 until January 2023. Before being elected to the Illinois Senate, he served in the Illinois House of Repr ...

*Phil Bloomer, Johnson's communications director * Bill Brady,

and nominee for governor in

* Dan Brady, state representative * Adam Brown, state representative * Sam McCann, state senator *

Kyle McCarter Kyle McCarter (born June 27, 1962) is an American politician from Illinois and former diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Kenya from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from Februa ...

, state senator * Duane Noland, former state senator *

Chapin Rose Chapin Rose (born December 17, 1973) is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 51st district since January 2013. The 51st district includes all or parts of McLean, DeWitt, Macon, Piatt, Shelby, Moultrie, Douglas, Cham ...

, state representative *Mark Shelden, Johnson's current chief of staff * Mike Tate, CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois and former state Representative * Jim Watson, state representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *David Gill, physician and nominee for the 15th district in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and

=Eliminated in primary

= * Matt Goetten, Greene County

State attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

=Withdrawn

= *James Gray, retired school administrator

=Declined

= *

Mike Frerichs Michael W. Frerichs (; born July 28, 1973) is an American politician serving his third term as the State Treasurer of Illinois, after taking office on January 12, 2015. Before being elected treasurer, he was a Democratic member of the Illinois S ...

, state senator * Jay Hoffman, former

*Mark N. Lee, labor lawyer *Brendan McGinty, Champaign County Board member

Endorsements

Primary results

Independent

John Hartman, a medical technology company

CFO A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, re ...

, ran as an independent candidate.

General election

Endorsements

Debates

Complete video of debate
October 17, 2012

Polling

With Jerry Clarke
With Generic Democratic

Results

District 14

The redrawn 14th district includes McHenry County and parts of DuPage,

Kane Kane or KANE may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Fictional entities *Kane (comics), the main character of the eponymous comic book series by Paul Grist * Kane (''Command & Conquer''), Tiberium universe character in the ''Command & Conquer'' ...

, Kendall,

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

, and

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

counties. Republican

, who was first elected to represent the 14th district in

, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Declined

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 8th district

Primary results

Democratic primary

Bill Foster, a Democrat who represented the 14th district from 2008 until 2011, decided to run in the 11th district in 2012, although some

leaders had hoped he would run in the 14th district, where his home is located.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Dennis Anderson, public health researcher and International Breast Cancer Research Foundation trustee

=Eliminated in primary

= * Jonathan Farnick, computer support

technician A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skill and technique, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Specialisation The term technician covers many different special ...

=Declined

= * Jack Franks, state representative *Frank McClatchey, former McHenry

and former chairman of the McHenry County

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 15

Republican

, who had represented the now-obsolete 19th district since 2003 and represented the 20th district (eliminated after redistricting following the 2000 census) from 1997 until 2003, sought re-election in the new 15th district.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Angela Michael, retired nurse

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 16

In redistricting, the 16th district was moved south to incorporate

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

and

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

counties and parts of Ford County. Republican U.S. Representatives

, who had represented the 11th district since January 2011, and

Don Manzullo Donald Anthony Manzullo (born March 24, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for , from 1993 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party. From 2001 to 2007 he served as Chairman of the Committee ...

, who had represented the 16th district since 1993, sought re-election in the new 16th district.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Adam Kinzinger, incumbent U.S. Representative from the 11th district

=Eliminated in primary

= * Don Manzullo, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Declined

= *Frank Gambino, majority leader of the Winnebago County Board; he announced in September 2011 that he would instead run for the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

Endorsements

Polling

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Wanda Rohl, social worker

Independents

Bronco Bojovic, a businessman, had planned to run as an

candidate but dropped out of the race in February 2012.

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 17

The 17th district, based in Rock Island and Moline, was extended to include most of Rockford and the more Democratic areas of Peoria and Tazewell County, thereby making it more favorable to Democrats. Republican Bobby Schilling, who had represented the district since January 2011, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bobby Schilling, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Cheri Bustos, East Moline

alderwoman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Greg Aguilar, director of multicultural services at Augustana College * George Gaulrapp, Mayor of

Freeport Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Freeport, name of several space stations in the video game ''Freelancer'' (2003) * Freeport, a fictional town in the video game ''SiN'' (1998) * ''Freeport: The Cit ...

=Withdrawn

= *Eric Reyes, attorney

=Declined

= * Mike Boland, former

* Phil Hare, former U.S. Representative *

Dave Koehler David Koehler (born December 16, 1948) is a Democratic politician from Illinois, and has been the Illinois State Senator from 46th Legislative District since December 2006. The district includes parts of Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, and McLean ...

*Porter McNeill, activist * Mark Schwiebert, former mayor of Rock Island

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Debates

Complete video of debate
October 25, 2012

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 18

Republican

Aaron Schock Aaron Jon Schock (born May 28, 1981) is a former American politician who was Republican Party (United States), Republican United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative for from 2009 until 2015. The district is based in Peoria, Illi ...

, who had represented the 18th district since 2009, ran for and won re-election. The district was one of two which were expected to remain strongly favorable to Republicans. Peoria's more Democratic southern portion was shifted to the 17th district, and was replaced by the heavily Republican Bloomington-Normal and Quincy areas.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Disqualified

= *Darrel Miller, farmer; removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections in February 2012

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Steve Waterworth, farmer and former

master sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...

in the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

and

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Matthew Woodmancy, restaurant manager

Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Results

References

External links

Illinois State Board of Elections

Official candidate list, primary election

Official candidate list, general election

Find your current district by address or zip+4

Find your new district by address or mapVote 2012: Meet the Candidates

ABC 7 Chicago WLS-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's ABC network outlet. It has been owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division since the station's inception. WLS ...

, video statements and questionnaire answers
Candidate issue positions
at

On the Issues On the Issues or OnTheIssues is an American non-partisan, non-profit organization providing information to American voters on American candidates, primarily via their website. The organization was started in 1996, went non-profit in 2000, and is ...

United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2012
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Illinois U.S. House
from OurCampaigns.com
Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Illinois
from

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector an ...

Outside spending
at the

Sunlight Foundation The Sunlight Foundation was an American 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocated for open government. The organization was founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States ...

Illinois Redistricting
at Illinois House Democrats official website {{2012 United States elections

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...