1994 Cook County, Illinois, elections

The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 8, 1994.

1994 Cook County, Illinois, elections
November 8, 1994
Turnout48.16%
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County elections

Primaries were held March 15, 1994.[1]

Elections were held for Assessor, Clerk, Sheriff, Treasurer, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, all 17 seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, both seats of the Cook County Board of Appeals, seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

The Democratic Party performed well, winning a full sweep of all countywide offices and 11 out of 17 seats on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.[2] This came despite 1994 having been a strong Republican election cycle nationally, including in Illinois’ statewide elections (with the national election cycle being dubbed the “Republican Revolution”).

Election information

1994 was a midterm election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for congressional elections and those for state elections.

Primary election

Turnout in the primaries was 34.58%, with 911,577 ballots cast.[1][3] Chicago saw 555,937 ballots cast and suburban Cook County saw 23.95% turnout (with 355,620 ballots cast).[1][4]

Vote totals of primaries[1]
PrimaryChicago vote totalsSuburban Cook County vote totalsTotal Cook County vote totals
Democratic525,752213,002738,754
Republican24,391132,478156,869
Harold Washington Party564110674
Harold Washington Party/Democratic3,8261,6695,495
Harold Washington Party/Republican244171415
Nonpartisan1,1608,1909,350
Total555,937355,620911,557

General election

The general election saw turnout of 48.16%, with 1,267,152 ballots cast.[5] Chicago saw 586,235 ballots cast, while suburban Cook County saw 50.54% turnout (with 680,917 ballots cast).[4][5]

Assessor
1994 Cook County Assessor election
November 8, 1994
 
Candidate Thomas Hynes Sandra C. Wilson-Muriel
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 725,866 340,151
Assessor before election

Thomas Hynes
Democratic

 Elected Assessor

Thomas Hynes
Democratic

In the 1994 Cook County Assessor election, incumbent assessor Thomas Hynes, a Democrat, was elected to a fifth full-term.[2]

Democratic
Cook County Assessor Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas Hynes (incumbent) 444,436 100
Total votes 444,436 100

Republican
Cook County Assessor Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sandra C. Wilson-Muriel 98,084 100
Total votes 98,084 100

Harold Washington Party
Cook County Assessor Harold Washington Party primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Harold Washington Donald Pamon 3,076 100
Total votes 3,076 100

General election

Democrat Hynes won by a roughly 35-point margin.[6] He defeated Republican nominee Sandra C. Wilson-Muriel, as well as Harold Washington Party nominee Donald Pamon and Populist Party nominee Loretha Weisinger.[6]

Cook County Assessor election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas Hynes (incumbent) 725,866
Republican Sandra C. Wilson-Muriel 340,151
Harold Washington Donald Pamon 47,682
Populist Loretha Weisinger
Total votes 100

Clerk
1994 Cook County Clerk election
November 8, 1994
 
Candidate David Orr Edward Howlett
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 720,132 381,445
Clerk before election

David Orr
Democratic

 Elected Clerk

David Orr
Democratic

In the 1994 Cook County Clerk election, incumbent first-term clerk David Orr, a Democrat, was reelected.

Democratic
Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 454,873 76,37
Democratic Patricia Young 140,290 23.63
Total votes 595,163 100

Republican
Cook County Clerk Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Edward G. Howlett 102,454 100
Total votes 102,454 100

Harold Washington Party
Cook County Clerk Harold Washington Party primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Harold Washington Herman W. Baker, Jr. 2,154 50.77
Harold Washington Vivian Stewart Tyler 2,089 49.23
Total votes 4,243 100

General election

David Orr was reelected by a roughly 30-point margin.[6] He defeated Republican nominee Edward Howlett, as well as Harold Washington Party nominee Herman W. Baker, Jr. and Populist Party nominee Curtis Jones.[6]

Cook County Clerk election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Orr (incumbent) 720,132
Republican Edward Howlett 381,445
Harold Washington Herman W. Baker, Jr. 30,754
Populist Curtis Jones
Total votes 100

Sheriff
1994 Cook County Sheriff election
November 8, 1994
 
Candidate Michael F. Sheahan John D. Tourtelot
Party Democratic Republican
Sheriff before election

Michael F. Sheahan
Democratic

 Elected Sheriff

Michael F. Sheahan
Democratic

In the 1994 Cook County Sheriff election, incumbent first-term sheriff Michael F. Sheahan, a Democrat, was reelected.

Democratic
Cook County Sheriff Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Michael F. Sheahan (incumbent) 388,977 67.41
Democratic Tommy H. Brewer 188,025 32.59
Total votes 577,002 100

Republican

No candidate ran in the Republican primary for Sheriff.[1] The party ultimately nominated John D. Tourtelot.[6]

Harold Washington Party
Cook County Sheriff Harold Washington Party primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Harold Washington William A. Brown 3,076 100
Total votes 3,076 100

General election

Michael F. Sheahan was reelected by a roughly 40-point margin.[6] He defeated Republican nominee John D. Tourtelot, as well as Harold Washington Party nominee William A. Brown and Populist Party nominee William J. Benson.[6]

Treasurer
1994 Cook County Treasurer election
November 8, 1994
 
Candidate Edward J. Rosewell Jean Reyes Pechette
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 643,313 389,131
Treasurer before election

Edward J. Rosewell
Democratic

 Elected Treasurer

Edward J. Rosewell
Democratic

In the 1994 Cook County Treasurer election, incumbent fifth-term treasurer Edward J. Rosewell, a Democrat, was reelected.[6][8]

Democratic
Cook County Treasurer Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Edward J. Rosewell (incumbent) 423,290 100
Total votes 423,290 100

Republican
Cook County Treasurer Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jean Reyes Pechette 111,506 100
Total votes 111,506 100

Harold Washington Party
Cook County Treasurer Harold Washington Party primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Harold Washington Robert J. Pettis 2,089 50.47
Harold Washington Atara Young 1,962 49.53
Total votes 4,051 100

General election

Rosewell was reelected by a more than 20-point margin. He defeated Republican nominee Jean Reyes Pechette, as well as Harold Washington Party nominee Robert J. Pettis and Populist Party nominee John Justice.[6]

Cook County Treasurer election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Edward J. Rosewell 643,313
Republican Jean Reyes Pechette 389,131
Harold Washington Robert J. Pettis 55,017
Populist John Justice
Total votes 100

President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
1994 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election
November 8, 1994
 
Candidate John Stroger Joe Morris
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 681,078 397,241
President before election

Richard Phelan
Democratic

 Elected President

John Stroger
Democratic

In the 1994 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election, incumbent first-term president Richard Phelan, a Democrat, did not seek reelection. Democrat, John Stroger, was elected to succeed him in office. Stroger was the first African-American to be elected to the office.[2]

Democratic
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Stroger, Jr. 308,944 47.63
Democratic Aurelia Marie Pucinski 185,266 28.56
Democratic Maria Pappas 154,543 23.82
Total votes 648,753 100

Republican

Joe Morris received the Republican nomination, running unopposed on the ballot in the Republican primary.

Originally, Palatine village president Rita Mullins was running for the nomination, but she withdrew her candidacy.[9]

President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joseph A. Morris 99,238 100
Total votes 99,238 100

Harold Washington Party
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Harold Washington Party primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Harold Washington David R. Reed 2,106 53.26
Harold Washington Bruce Crosby 1,848 46.64
Total votes 120,627 100

General election

Morris' candidacy was considered a long shot. It struggled with a lack of funds.[2] During the general election, Stroger did not campaign heavily.[2]

Morris proposed drastically restricting the county's government, abolishing all of the county agencies except the State's Attorney's office and replacing them with a different arrangement of departments that would have been under greater control of the president of the Cook Cook County Board of Commissioners.[2]

Stroger won by a more than 25-point margin over Republican Joe Morris. He also defeated Harold Washington Party nominee Aloysius Majerczyk and Populist Party nominee Jerome Carter.[6]


President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Stroger 681,078
Republican Joe Morris 397,241
Harold Washington Aloysius Majerczyk 33,886
Populist Jerome Carter
Total votes 100

Cook County Board of Commissioners
Main article: 1994 Cook County Board of Commissioners election
1994 Cook County Board of Commissioners election
November 8, 1994
All 17 seats on the Cook County Board of Commissioners
9 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Democratic Republican Harold Washington
Seats before 11 6 0
Seats won 11 6 0
Seat change Steady Steady Steady

The 1994 Cook County Board of Commissioners election saw all seventeen seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners up for election to four-year terms.

This was the first for the Cook County Board of Commissioners conducted with individual districts, as previous elections had been conducted through two sets of at-large elections (one for ten seats from the city of Chicago and another for seven seats from suburban Cook County).[10]

Six of those elected were new to the Cook County Board of Commissioners.[11]

The number of commissioners each party held remained unchanged.[12]

Cook County Board of Appeals
1994 Cook County Board of Appeals election
November 8, 1990
2 of 2 seats on the Cook County Board of Appeals
  First party Second party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Seats before 2 0
Seats after 2 0
Seat change Steady Steady

In the 1994 Cook County Board of Appeals election, both seats on the board were up for election. The election was an at-large election.

Incumbent Democrats Joseph Berrios and Wilson Frost were reelected.

This was the last election to the Cook County Board of Appeals, which was reconstituted in 1998 as the three-member Cook County Board of Review.

Water Reclamation District Board
1994 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election
November 8, 1994

In the 1998 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election took place on November 8, 1994, with primaries on March 15, 1994.

Judicial elections

Partisan elections were held for judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County, due to vacancies. Other judgeships had retention elections.

Ballot questions

Property tax cap advisory referendum

An advisory referendum was held on whether the voters of Cook County wanted the Illinois General Assembly to pass a cap on property taxes. Voters overwhelmingly supported a tax cap.

Property tax cap[13]
Candidate Votes  %
Yes 653,200 83.02
No 133,650 16.99
Total votes 786,850 100

Other elections

Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect the Democratic, Republican, and Harold Washington Party committeemen for the suburban townships.[1]

Suburban Cook County elected a superintendent for the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, with Republican Lloyd Lehman running unopposed in the general election.[7]

See also

References
  1. "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS PRIMARY ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1994 DEMOCRATIC PARTY" (PDF). Cook County Clerk. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. Fegelman, Andrew; Baniak, Peter (9 November 1994). "Stroger's patience is rewarded". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. "STATE OF ILLINOIS OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, MARCH 15, 1994" (PDF). Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  4. "Voter Registration and Turnout 1990 - 2019 | Cook County Clerk's Office". www.cookcountyclerk.com. Cook County Clerk. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  5. "STATE OF ILLINOIS OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 8, 1994" (PDF). Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  6. Chicago Tribune, 11/10/1994
  7. "Cook County offices". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. 10 Nov 1994. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  8. O'Connor, Matt (26 November 1998). "ROSEWELL MAKES DEAL IN GHOST-JOBS PROBE". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  9. "ENDORSEMENTS FOR COOK COUNTY BOARD". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. "CHOICES FOR COOK COUNTY BOARD". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. 22 October 1998. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  11. Geroulis, Dean (25 November 1994). "NEW COMMISSIONER TO REMAIN ELMWOOD PARK MAYOR". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  12. Fegelman, Andrew (10 November 1994). "STROGER'S WIN BUILT ON VOTER, PARTY UNITY". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  13. "Referendums". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. 10 Nov 1994. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
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