1960 Illinois gubernatorial election

The Illinois gubernatorial election of 1960 was held in Illinois on November 8, 1960.[1] Incumbent Governor William Stratton, a Republican seeking a third term, lost reelection to Democrat Otto Kerner Jr.

1960 Illinois gubernatorial election

November 8, 1960
Turnout	84.99% 2.30 pp
Nominee Otto Kerner Jr. William Stratton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,418,394 2,239,095 Percentage 51.9% 48.1%
County Results Kerner:      50–60%      60–70% Stratton:      50-60%      60-70%
Governor before election William Stratton Republican Elected Governor Otto Kerner Jr. Democratic

Election information

The primaries and general election both coincided with those for federal offices (United States President, House, and United States Senate) and those for other state offices. The election was part of the 1960 Illinois elections.

Background

Heading into this election, Stratton was seen as vulnerable to being unseated if the Democrats ran a strong candidate, as he had only narrowly won reelection in 1956 (despite a strong overall performance by the Republican party in the state that year), and since the Democratic Party had nationally had a strong performance in the 1958 elections.[2]

Turnout

In the primaries, turnout was 37.54%, with 1,910,956 votes cast.[1][3]

In the general election, turnout was 84.99%, with 4,674,187 votes cast.[1][3]

Primaries

Primaries were held on April 12, 1960.[1]

Democratic primary

Names floated as potential Democratic contenders included Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley.[2] Daley opted not to run.[2] Daley, the head of the Cook County Democratic Party and a political boss, helped slate Otto Kerner for the nomination.[2] Kerner won the Democratic primary.[1]

Gubernatorial Democratic primary[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Otto Kerner	649,253	60.89
	Democratic	Joseph D. Lohman	232,345	21.79
	Democratic	Stephen A. Mitchell	184,651	17.32
Total votes			1,066,249	100

Republican

Gubernatorial Republican primary[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William G. Stratton (incumbent)	499,365	59.12
	Republican	Hayes Robertson	345,340	40.88
	Write-in	Others	2	0.00
Total votes			844,707	100

General election

Gubernatorial election[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Otto Kerner Jr.	2,594,731	55.51
	Republican	William G. Stratton (incumbent)	2,070,479	44.30
	Socialist Labor	Edward C. Cross	8,976	0.19
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			4,674,187	100

References

1. "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION, NOVEMBER 8, 1960 JUDICIAL ELECTION 1959-1960 • PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, APRIL 12 1960" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
2. Cohen, Adam; Taylor, Elizabeth (2001). American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - His Battle for Chicago and the Nation. Little, Brown. pp. 146–148. ISBN 978-0-7595-2427-9.
3. "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 4, 1986" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 10 April 2020.