1940 Illinois elections

Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 5, 1940.

Primaries were held April 9, 1940.

While the Democratic ticket of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry A. Wallace won the state's electors in the presidential election, the election overall saw significant victories for the Republican Party. The Republican Party retained their control of the Illinois House, and flipped control of the Illinois Senate, as well as control of the executive offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Auditor of Public Accounts, and Treasurer, all of which had previously been under Democratic Party control. Democrats retained their hold on the executive office of Secretary of State. Additionally, Republicans won all seats up for election on the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Republicans also won the state's special United States Senate election and flipped 6 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives.

Turnout
In the primaries, 2,647,467 ballots were cast (1,503,706 Democratic and 1,143,761 Republican).

In the general election, 4,262,196 ballots were cast.

United States President
Illinois voted for the Democratic ticket of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry A. Wallace.

United States Senate
Republican Charles W. Brooks unseated Democrat James M. Slattery, who had been appointed to the seat left vacant by the death in office of Democrat J. Hamilton Lewis.

United States House
All 27 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1940.

Republicans flipped six Democratic-held seats, making the composition of Illinois' House delegation 16 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

Governor
Before the primary, incumbent governor Henry Horner, a Democrat, opted not to seek a third term. In October, before the general election, his death in office made John Henry Stelle assume the governorship. However, Stelle had previously failed to win the Democratic nomination in the primary.

Republican Dwight H. Green won the election.

Candidates

 * Harry B. Hershey, former mayor of Taylorville
 * Albert Lagerstedt, unsuccessful candidate for Democratic nomination in 1938 United States Senate election in Illinois
 * Robert W. McKinlay
 * James O. Monroe
 * John H. Stelle, incumbent lieutenant governor of Illinois

Candidates

 * Dwight H. Green, Republican nominee for mayor of Chicago in 1939
 * Richard J. Lyons, former Illinois state representative

Lieutenant governor
Incumbent lieutenant governor John Henry Stelle, a Democrat, did not seek reelection to a second term, instead opting to run for governor. Republican Hugh W. Cross was elected to succeed him.

Candidates

 * Louie E. Lewis, Illinois treasurer
 * George M. Maypole, Illinois state senator

Candidates

 * John V. Clinnin, unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 1936
 * Guy C. Crapple
 * Hugh W. Cross, State Representative
 * Charles Hindley
 * William C. Jerome
 * Arnold L. Lund, Republican nominee for the 6th congressional district in 1934
 * Earle Benjamin Searcy, Illinois state senator

Attorney general
Incumbent Attorney General John Edward Cassidy, a Democrat appointed in 1938 after fellow Democrat Otto Kerner Sr. resigned to accept a federal judgeship, did not seek reelection to a full term. Republican George F. Barrett was elected to succeed him.

Candidates

 * George F. Barrett
 * Oscar E. Carlstrom, former Illinois attorney general
 * Frank R. Eagleton, former assistant Illinois attorney general
 * Charles W. Hadley
 * Edward A. Hayes, former commander of The American Legion
 * George Landon

Secretary of State
Incumbent second-term Secretary of State Edward J. Hughes, a Democrat, was reelected.

Republican primary
Justus L. Johnson won the Republican primary, defeating businessman Richard Yates Rowe and Illinois state senator Arthur J. Bidwill.

Auditor of Public Accounts
Incumbent third-term Auditor of Public Accounts Edward J. Barrett, lost renomination in the Democratic primary. Republican Arthur C. Lueder was elected to succeed him.

Democratic primary
Incumbent Edward J. Barrett narrowly lost renomination to U.S. congressman and former Illinois state treasurer John C. Martin.

Candidates

 * John William Chapman, former Chicago alderman
 * Henry G. Hansen
 * Arthur C. Lueder, former Chicago postmaster and Republican nominee for mayor of Chicago in 1923
 * William R. McCauley
 * Oscar Nelson, former Illinois auditor of public accounts, former Chicago alderman, former interim president of the Building Service Employees International Union
 * Edward A. O'Connor
 * Charles W. Vail
 * Edward T. O'Connor

Treasurer
Incumbent first-term Treasurer Louie E. Lewis, a Democrat, did not seek reelection, instead running for lieutenant governor. Republican Warren Wright was elected to succeed him in office.

State Senate
Seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1940. Republicans flipped control of the chamber.

State House of Representatives
Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1940. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

University of Illinois trustees
An election was held for three of the nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois to six year terms, and a special election was held to fill the partial term of a seat that was vacated. Republicans swept all four seats in the two elections. The election was for six-year terms.

Regular election
An election was held for three six-year terms to the board.

Former two-term Republican member Helen M. H. Grigsby was returned to the board. New Republican members John R. Fornof and Park Livingston were elected to the board.

Incumbent first-term Democrat Marie Coyle Plumb lost reelection.

First-term Democrats Oscar G. Mayer Sr. and Harold Pogue did not seek reelection.

Marie Coyle Plumb was listed on the ballot as "Mrs. Glenn E. Plumb", and Beulah Campbell was listed as "Belulah (Mrs. Bruce A.) Campbell".

Special election
A special election was held to fill the term left vacant by the death in office of Democrat Louis Conrad Moschel in 1940. Republican Chester R. Davis was elected, defeating incumbent Kenny E. Williamson (who had been appointed to hold the seat after the death of Moschel).

Judicial elections
On June 3, 1940, an election was held for judges of the Superior Court of Cook County.

On November 5, 1940, an election was held to fill a vacancy on the Eighth Judicial Circuit.

Ballot measure
A legislatively referred state statute was brought before the voters.

Illinois Banking Law Amendment
Voters approved the Illinois Banking Law Amendment, a legislatively referred state statute which made it easier to establish new banks in small municipalities that lack banks. It amended sections 11 and 12 of the general banking law.

Local elections
Local elections were held.