Candidates •
Pat Quinn (Democratic) (campaign website): Incumbent governor who assumed office after the
impeachment of
Rod Blagojevich; sought a full term in 2010. • Rich Whitney (Green):
Illinois Green Party's 2006 nominee for governor • Lex Green (Libertarian) (archived campaign website): Secretary of the McLean County
Libertarian Party • Scott Lee Cohen (Independent): former Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010 who was replaced by Sheila Simon after withdrawing due to allegations of abuse toward his wife and other charges. Cohen was reported to have been in a private meeting with Speaker
Michael Madigan discussing his plan for running against Quinn.
Campaign After the February 2 Democratic primary in which incumbent Governor Pat Quinn was nominated, attention was drawn to Scott Lee Cohen, the Democratic nominee for
lieutenant governor. Illinois law required that candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run in separate
primary elections, but run as a
ticket in the November general election. Cohen was criticized for his having been charged with domestic
battery, in which he was accused of holding a knife to the throat of an ex-girlfriend who was also a convicted prostitute. Cohen was also accused by his ex-wife of physical abuse and using illegally obtained
anabolic steroids. Quinn and
Dick Durbin, Illinois's senior U.S. Senator, both said that Cohen should withdraw his candidacy, which he did on February 7. Cohen ran as an
independent candidate for the office of governor against Quinn. Dan Hynes, who placed second in the gubernatorial primary, denied interest in replacing Cohen on the ticket. At one point during the campaign, Quinn, struggling to make up ground amidst poor polling numbers against Brady, accused his Republican opponent of supporting a bill to kill puppies. In fact, the bill regulated shelters' practices when they euthanize animals. Quinn struggled to shake off Blagojevich's scandals, leading to poor approval ratings throughout the campaign, despite Quinn denouncing Blagojevich. Quinn trailed Brady by more than 10 points at times, despite Illinois being a deeply Democratic state. A central issue in the campaign was the state income tax. Quinn advocated for a one percentage point – or 33 percent – increase in the state's income tax to primarily fund education, while Brady called for a 10 percent across the board cut in state government and placing the State Board of Education under the governor's control.
Predictions Polling Results Even though Brady won 98 out of the 102 counties, Quinn narrowly prevailed. Brady won almost everywhere in the state, including all of the
collar counties of the
Chicago suburbs. Quinn initially had a large lead when results first began to come in, as heavily populated areas tend to report their votes faster. However, once the more suburban and rural areas came in Brady narrowed the gap significantly. Quinn's huge win in
Cook County proved too much for Brady to overcome, however. Brady conceded defeat later the following day on November 3, when it became clear he would lose. Quinn's win was ranked by
Politico as the 7th biggest upset of the 2010 elections.
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican •
Hamilton (Largest city:
McLeansboro) •
Pope (Largest city:
Golconda) •
Randolph (Largest city:
Chester) •
Saline (Largest city:
Harrisburg) •
Will (Largest city:
Joliet) •
Williamson (Largest city:
Marion) •
Winnebago (Largest city:
Rockford) •
Franklin (Largest city:
West Frankfort) •
LaSalle (Largest city:
Ottawa) •
Boone (largest city:
Belvidere) •
Madison (largest city:
Granite City) •
Mercer (largest city:
Aledo) •
Monroe (largest city:
Waterloo) •
Calhoun (Largest village:
Hardin) •
Fulton (Largest city:
Canton) •
Henderson (Largest village:
Oquawka) •
Knox (Largest city:
Galesburg) •
Pulaski (Largest city:
Mounds) •
Rock Island (largest city:
Moline) •
Lake (largest city:
Waukegan) •
Whiteside (largest city:
Sterling) •
Perry (Largest city:
Du Quoin) •
Union (Largest city:
Anna) •
Jersey (Largest city:
Jerseyville) •
Hardin (Largest city:
Rosiclare) •
Massac (Largest city:
Metropolis) •
Gallatin (largest city:
Shawneetown) •
Putnam (largest city:
Hennpin)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic •
Jackson (largest city:
Carbondale) ==See also==