SPECIAL STAFF REPORT
THE CAMPAIGN SEASON is starting for the November general election, but political observers will predict few, if any, upsets in the downstate House districts. There are 74 incumbents running for those 87 downstate seats (three to be elected from each district — District 31 through 59). The only incumbent to lose downstate in the primary was Sam Wolf (D., Granite City), who had been appointed to fill a vacancy. In the 1974 primary, 11 incumbents lost their bid for party renomination.
Thirty-eight non-incumbents will be on the November ballot trying to gain seats to the House from Downstate districts. But for the first time in many years, there will not be any independent challengers, not just for Downstate seats, but for any state office. This is attributed to a law (Ill. Rev. Stat., ch. 46, sec. 10-3) enacted last year requiring independents to file their petitions at the same time regular party candidates file for the primary election. Previously, independents could wait to file petitions until after the primary election. The one candidate who filed as an independent under the new law was prohibited from running in the general election because of petition irregularities, according to the State Board of Elections.
Illinois Issues mailed survey questionnaires to winners of the party primaries for General Assembly seats to be filled at the November election.
A list of candidates for the Downstate House seats follow with brief biographical information. Candidates were also invited to answer a general question, on what they would do to alleviate problems caused by the tight fiscal condition in the state. An analysis of candidate responses is below.
Illinois Issues will cover the candidates for the House from the Cook County districts (1-30) next month, and upcoming magazines will also cover candidates for the Illinois Senate, judicial seats, Congressional districts and statewide executive offices. / B.J.V. & T.S.B.
16 / June 1976 / Illinois Issues