2018 Illinois gubernatorial election facts for kids

Election results:
     J. B. Pritzker (Democratic)
Votes: 2,382,536 (54.2%)      Governor Bruce Rauner (Republican)
Votes: 1,723,015 (39.2%)

The 2018 Illinois Governor Election was held on November 6, 2018. People voted to choose the next Governor of Illinois. A governor is the leader of a state, similar to a president for a country.

Before the main election, political parties held "primary elections." These are like tryouts where people from the same party vote for who they want to represent them. The Democratic and Republican primary elections happened on March 20, 2018. The Libertarian Party chose their candidate on March 4th.

The governor at the time was Bruce Rauner, a Republican. He wanted to be re-elected for a second term. He ran against J. B. Pritzker, a Democrat, and Kash Jackson, a Libertarian.

In the primary elections, J. B. Pritzker won the Democratic vote. Bruce Rauner won the Republican vote. Kash Jackson was chosen by the Libertarian Party. In the final election, Pritzker won by a large number of votes. He became the new Governor of Illinois.

Republican Party Candidates

The Republican Party had two main people running for governor. They wanted to be chosen to represent their party in the main election.

Who Ran for the Republicans?

• Jeanne Ives: She was a State Representative. Her running mate, who would be Lieutenant Governor, was Richard Morthland.
• Bruce Rauner: He was the current Governor. He wanted to be re-elected. His running mate was Evelyn Sanguinetti, the current Lieutenant Governor.

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  State Representative
  Jeanne Ives
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  Governor
  Bruce Rauner
  

Republican Primary Results

The Republican voters chose their candidate in March 2018.

Bruce Rauner won the Republican primary election. He received a little more than half of the votes.

Democratic Party Candidates

The Democratic Party had several people hoping to become their candidate for governor.

Who Ran for the Democrats?

• Daniel Biss: He was a State Senator. His running mate was Litesa Wallace.
• Bob Daiber: He was a school superintendent. His running mate was Jonathan W. Todd.
• Tio Hardiman: He was an activist. His running mate was Patricia Avery.
• Chris Kennedy: He was a businessman from a famous political family. His running mate was Ra Joy.
• Alex Paterakis: He was an engineer and business owner.
• J. B. Pritzker: He was a businessman and gave money to charities. His running mate was Juliana Stratton.

Some candidates, like Scott Drury and Ameya Pawar, started running but later decided not to continue.

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  State Senator
  Daniel Biss
  
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  Superintendent
  Bob Daiber
  
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  Activist
  Tio Hardiman
  
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  Former Chairman
  Christopher G. Kennedy
  
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  Businessman
  Alex Paterakis
  
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  Businessman
  J. B. Pritzker
  

Democratic Primary Results

The Democratic voters chose their candidate in March 2018.

J. B. Pritzker won the Democratic primary election. He received the most votes from his party.

Libertarian Party Candidates

The Libertarian Party also chose a candidate for the governor's race.

Who Ran for the Libertarians?

• Kash Jackson: He was a Navy Veteran and an activist. He won the nomination.
• Jon Stewart: He was a retired professional wrestler. He did not win the nomination.

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  Activist
  Kash Jackson
  
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  Retired professional wrestler
  Jon Stewart
  

General Election Overview

The general election is when all voters choose between the candidates from different parties. This election happened on November 6, 2018.

Election Predictions

Before the election, many news groups and political experts tried to guess who would win. They often ranked the race as "Lean D" (meaning the Democratic candidate was slightly favored) or "Likely D" (meaning the Democratic candidate was very likely to win).

General Election Polling

Polls are surveys that ask people who they plan to vote for. These polls help show who is ahead in the race.

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Images for kids

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  Democratic candidates listed on a blank ballot