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A general election was held in the U.S. state of Illinois on November 4, 2014. All of Illinois' executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, and all of Illinois' eighteen seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on March 18, 2014.
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Governor and lieutenant governor
Incumbent Democratic Governor Pat Quinn ran for re-election to a second full term as governor. Quinn, the then-lieutenant governor, assumed the office of governor on January 29, 2009, when Rod Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office. He was narrowly elected to a first full term in 2010.
Quinn was renominated by the Democrats, while the Republicans chose businessman and venture capitalist Bruce Rauner and the Libertarians nominated political activist Chad Grimm.
Previously in Illinois, there were separate primary elections for governor and lieutenant governor, with the winners then running together on the same ticket. In 2011, the law was changed and candidates for governor now pick their own running mate. Incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon did not run for re-election, instead running unsuccessfully for Comptroller. She was replaced as Quinn's running mate by former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas. Rauner chose Wheaton City Councilwoman Evelyn Sanguinetti and Grimm chose Alex Cummings.
Rauner defeated Quinn in the general election by 50.3% of the vote to Quinn's 46.4%. Rauner won every county in Illinois except for Cook County, home to the city of Chicago and 40% of the state's residents.
Attorney General
Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan ran for re-election to a fourth term in office.
Candidates
Candidates
Secretary of State
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Jesse White ran for re-election to a fifth term in office.
Candidates
Candidates
Comptroller
Incumbent Republican Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka ran for re-election to a second term in office.
Candidates
Candidates
Aftermath
Topinka died on December 10, 2014. Governor Pat Quinn appointed Jerry Stermer to serve out the remainder of her term. A special election may be held for the office in 2016.
Treasurer
Incumbent Republican Treasurer Dan Rutherford did not run for re-election to a second term in office. He instead ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor.
Candidates
Candidates
United States Senate
Incumbent Democratic Senator and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin ran for re-election to a fourth term in office. He defeated Republican State Senator Jim Oberweis and Libertarian Sharon Hansen in the general election.
United States House of Representatives
All of Illinois' eighteen seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2014.