2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts, a loss of one seat following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election. Primary elections were held on March 20, 2012.

Republicans struggled after a strong showing in 2010, losing a total of five seats, one via redistricting, and four via loses by incumbents. Joe Walsh, Bob Dold, Judy Biggert, and Bobby Schilling were all defeated in their bids for re-election. Walsh, Dold, and Schilling had all been elected during the wave year of 2010.

Redistricting
A redistricting bill was introduced to the Illinois General Assembly by members of the Democratic Party in May 2011. Although Representatives are not required to live within their districts, the new map drew the homes of at least five Republican incumbents into districts where they would have to run against other Republicans, and others into districts which strongly favor Democrats.

After an amendment which modified the 13th and 15th districts was passed with Republican support, the new map was passed by the Illinois House of Representatives on May 30, 2011 and the Senate on May 31. Governor Pat Quinn, a Democrat, signed the map into law on June 24. Republican members of the congressional delegation planned to mount a legal challenge.

District 1
The 1st district, which had been represented by Democrat Bobby Rush since 1993, had seen a decline in population and so now extends into the Chicago suburbs and rural areas of Will County.

Nominee

 * Bobby Rush, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Harold Bailey
 * Raymond Lodato, lecturer in public policy at the University of Chicago
 * Clifford Russell Jr., police officer
 * Jordan Sims, political commentator for an online newspaper
 * Fred Smith, program director for a youth care agency

Nominee

 * Donald Peloquin, Mayor of Blue Island

Eliminated in primary

 * Frederick Collins, police officer and 2010 candidate for Cook County Sheriff
 * Jimmy Lee Tillman II, producer

District 2
The new 2nd district stretches from Kankakee County, through Will County and to Chicago. Democrat Jesse Jackson, Jr., who had represented the 2nd district since 1999, sought re-election.

Nominee

 * Jesse Jackson Jr., incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Debbie Halvorson, former U.S. Representative

Republican primary
Republican Adam Kinzinger, who was first elected to represent the 11th district in 2010 and now lives in the 2nd district, sought re-election in the 16th district.

Nominee

 * Brian Woodworth, associate professor at Olivet Nazarene University

Eliminated in primary

 * James Taylor Sr., newspaper publisher

Declined

 * Adam Kinzinger, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 11th district

Independents

 * Marcus Lewis, postal worker

Aftermath
Jesse Jackson, Jr. resigned his seat in the 112th Congress on November 21, 2012, and also resigned his seat in the 113th Congress on the same day. As a result, no one was seated in the 113th Congress for the 2nd congressional district, and a special election was called for April, 2013, to fill the vacancy.

District 3
The 3rd district, which had been represented by Democrat Dan Lipinski since 2005, now extends to Bridgeport, Chicago and Lockport, Will County. Lipinski sought re-election.

Democratic primary
Insurance executive and health care activist John Atkinson was expected to challenge incumbent Lipinski, and raised over $535,000 in the first quarter of 2011, but no longer lives in Lipinski's district. Atkinson had considered instead running in the 11th district, but suspended his campaign on June 14, 2011.

Nominee

 * Dan Lipinski, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Farah Baqai, police officer

Withdrawn

 * John Atkinson, Insurance executive and health care activist

Nominee

 * Richard Grabowski, manufacturing company supervisor

Eliminated in primary

 * Jim Falvey, attorney
 * Arthur J. Jones, insurance sales representative

District 4
The 4th district, which had been represented by Democrat Luis Gutiérrez since 1993, was extended to incorporate Gutiérrez's new home in Portage Park.

Nominee

 * Luis Gutiérrez, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Jorge Zavala, teacher with the City Colleges of Chicago

Republican primary
Héctor Concepción, a former director of the Puerto Rican chamber of commerce, had been removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections in January 2012, but since refiled and challenged Gutiérrez as the Republican nominee in the general election.

Nominee

 * Héctor Concepción, former director of the Puerto Rican chamber of commerce

District 5
The 5th district, which had been represented by Democrat Mike Quigley since 2009, was redrawn to include Franklin Park, Elmwood Park, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, River Grove, Schiller Park and parts of Melrose Park, Stone Park and the North Side of Chicago. Quigley sought re-election.

Nominee

 * Mike Quigley, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Dan Schmitt, self-employed

Nominee

 * Nancy Wade, community activist

District 6
The 6th district, which had been represented by Republican Peter Roskam since 2007, is one of two districts which were expected to remain strongly favorable to Republicans, although it has been redrawn to include Algonquin, Barrington, Cary, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Lake in the Hills, Lake Zurich, Palatine, South Elgin, West Chicago, Westmont and Wheaton.

Nominee

 * Peter Roskam, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Leslie Coolidge, certified public accountant and former partner at KPMG

Eliminated in primary

 * Geoffrey Petzel, small business owner
 * Maureen E. Yates, retired businesswoman

Disqualified

 * Tim Ritter, graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Independents
Khizar Jafri, a traffic analyst, ran as an Independent.

District 7
The 7th district, which had been represented by Democrat Danny K. Davis since 1997, was redrawn to include parts of LaGrange Park and Westchester. Davis sought re-election.

Nominee

 * Danny Davis, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Jacques A. Conway, pastor and retired police officer

Nominee

 * Rita Zak

District 8
Republican Joe Walsh, who was first elected to represent the 8th district in 2010, ran for re-election despite no longer living within the redrawn boundaries of the district. Walsh had initially decided to run in the redrawn 14th district.

Republican primary
Walsh defeated write-in candidate Robert Canfield, a business owner who had planned to challenge him in the Republican primary before being removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections.

Nominee

 * Joe Walsh, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Robert Canfield, business owner

Withdrawn

 * Rick Veenstra, DuPage County assistant state attorney

Disqualified

 * Rich Evans, accountant

Declined

 * David Harris, state representative
 * Craig Johnson, Mayor of Elk Grove Village
 * Andrew Palomo, businessman
 * Darlene Ruscitti, DuPage County Superintendent of Education

Nominee

 * Tammy Duckworth, Iraq veteran, former official in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and candidate for the 6th district in 2006

Eliminated in primary

 * Raja Krishnamoorthi, former deputy state treasurer and candidate for Illinois Comptroller in 2010

Declined

 * Melissa Bean, former U.S. Representative (endorsed Krishnamoorthi)

Campaign
Walsh and Duckworth scheduled four debates. The first was held on May 12, 2012 on CLTV, the second on September 14 in West Dundee at Heritage Fest, the third on October 9 on WCPT and WIND at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows, open to 8th district residents. The fourth was held on October 18 on WTTW's Chicago Tonight.

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, October 18, 2012

District 9
Democrat Jan Schakowsky, who had represented the 9th district since 1999, sought re-election.

Robert Dold, who was first elected to represent the 10th district in 2010, lives in the new 9th district, but sought re-election in the 10th.

Nominee

 * Jan Schakowsky, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Simon Ribeiro, high school teacher and Green Party nominee for this seat in 2010

Nominee

 * Timothy Wolfe

Withdrawn

 * Ron Wallace, Niles Township Republican Committeeman

Declined

 * Robert Dold, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 10th district

District 10
Bob Dold, who was first elected to represent the 10th district in 2010, sought re-election. Dold no longer lives in the redrawn district, but would move into the district if he won re-election.

Nominee

 * Bob Dold, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Brad Schneider, management consultant

Eliminated in primary

 * Vivek Bavda, attorney
 * Ilya Sheyman, community organizer
 * John Tree, business executive and Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve

Withdrawn

 * Bob McKenzie, lawyer

Disqualified

 * Aloys Rutagwibira, mathematician and basketball coach

Declined

 * Susan Garrett, state senator
 * Carol Sente, state representative

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, October 23, 2012

District 11
The newly drawn 11th district is the successor to the old 13th district, which had been represented by Republican Judy Biggert since 1999. While the reconfigured district contains half of Biggert's former territory, it was made significantly more Democratic than before. It now includes the Democratic-leaning areas of Joliet and Aurora. Biggert's home in Hinsdale was drawn into the 6th district, but she sought reelection in this district.

Republican primary
Biggert won the primary against nominal write-in opposition from Harris.

Nominee

 * Judy Biggert, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Diane Harris, notary public

Disqualified

 * Jack Cunningham, Kane County Clerk

Declined

 * Chris Balkema, member of the Grundy County Board
 * Richard Irvin, Aurora alderman
 * Chris Lauzen, state senator (running for Kane County Board Chairman)

Nominee

 * Bill Foster, former U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * James Hickey, president of the Orland Fire Protection District
 * Juan Thomas, former Aurora Township clerk

Declined

 * John Atkinson, Insurance executive and health care activist
 * Linda Chapa LaVia, state representative
 * Linda Holmes, state senator

District 12
Democrat Jerry Costello, who had represented the 12th district since 1988, decided to retire rather than run for re-election.

Nominee

 * Brad Harriman, St. Clair County Regional Superintendent

Eliminated in primary

 * Kenneth Wiezer, retired carpenter

Withdrawn

 * Chris Miller, Illinois political director of the Truman National Security Project and Iraq War U.S. Army veteran

Declined

 * John Baricevic, St. Clair County Chief Judge
 * John E. Bradley, state representative
 * Ann Callis, Madison County Chief Judge
 * James Clayborne, Jr., state senator
 * Jerry Costello, incumbent U.S. Representative
 * Jerry Costello II, state representative and Jerry Costello's eldest son
 * Bill Haine, state senator
 * Jay C. Hoffman, former state representative
 * Tom Holbrook, state representative
 * Brendan Kelly, St. Clair County State's Attorney
 * Mark Kern, St. Clair County Board Chairman
 * Matt Melucci, Madison County Circuit Clerk
 * Sheila Simon, incumbent Lieutenant Governor

Campaign
Miller ended his campaign in February 2012 and endorsed Harriman (but remained on the primary ballot).

Primary results
In May 2012, Harriman dropped out of the race because of an illness; that left the decision of whom to name as a replacement candidate up to a committee that included the 12 Democratic county chairmen in the district and Rep. Costello. The committee unanimously selected Major General (ret.) and Adjutant General of Illinois William Enyart as the replacement nominee on June 23.

Nominee

 * Jason Plummer, chairman of the Madison County Republican Party and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010

Eliminated in primary

 * Rodger Cook, former mayor of Belleville
 * Theresa Kormos, nurse and candidate for this seat in 2010

Disqualified

 * Teri Newman, businesswoman and nominee for this seat in 2010

Declined

 * Mike Bost, state representative

Green primary
Paula Bradshaw, a registered nurse, ran as the Green Party nominee.

Independents
Retha Daugherty, a small-business owner and resident of Carbondale, had announced her intentions to be on the ballot as an independent candidate, but had to drop her bid in April 2012 because of a change in state election law.

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, September 20, 2012

District 13
The new 13th is the successor to the old 15th District, represented by Republican Tim Johnson since 2001.

Nominee

 * Tim Johnson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Michael Firsching, veterinarian
 * Frank Metzger, retired ironworker

Republican convention
Although Johnson won the primary, in April 2012, he chose to retire rather than seek re-election. A convention was held on May 19, 2012, to choose a replacement nominee. The 14 GOP county chairmen in the district unanimously selected Rodney Davis as the party nominee.

Nominee

 * Rodney L. Davis, aide to U.S. Representative John Shimkus

Eliminated at the convention

 * Jerry Clarke, chief of staff to U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren and Johnson's former chief of staff
 * Erika Harold, lawyer and 2003 Miss America
 * Kathy Wassink, businesswoman.

Declined

 * Jason Barickman, state representative
 * Phil Bloomer, Johnson's communications director
 * Bill Brady, state senator and nominee for governor in 2010
 * Dan Brady, state representative
 * Adam Brown, state representative
 * Sam McCann, state senator
 * Kyle McCarter, state senator
 * Duane Noland, former state senator
 * Chapin Rose, state representative
 * Mark Shelden, Johnson's current chief of staff
 * Mike Tate, CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois and former state Representative
 * Jim Watson, state representative

Nominee

 * David Gill, physician and nominee for the 15th district in 2004, 2006 and 2010

Eliminated in primary

 * Matt Goetten, Greene County State attorney

Withdrawn

 * James Gray, retired school administrator

Declined

 * Mike Frerichs, state senator
 * Jay Hoffman, former state representative
 * Mark N. Lee, labor lawyer
 * Brendan McGinty, Champaign County Board member

Independent
John Hartman, a medical technology company CFO, ran as an independent candidate.

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, October 17, 2012

Polling

 * With Jerry Clarke


 * With Generic Democratic

District 14
The redrawn 14th district includes McHenry County and parts of DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, and Will counties. Republican Randy Hultgren, who was first elected to represent the 14th district in 2010, ran for re-election.

Nominee

 * Randy Hultgren, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

 * Joe Walsh, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 8th district

Democratic primary
Bill Foster, a Democrat who represented the 14th district from 2008 until 2011, decided to run in the 11th district in 2012, although some Illinois General Assembly leaders had hoped he would run in the 14th district, where his home is located.

Nominee

 * Dennis Anderson, public health researcher and International Breast Cancer Research Foundation trustee

Eliminated in primary

 * Jonathan Farnick, computer support technician

Declined

 * Jack Franks, state representative
 * Frank McClatchey, former McHenry alderman and former chairman of the McHenry County

District 15
Republican John Shimkus, who had represented the now-obsolete 19th district since 2003 and represented the 20th district (eliminated after redistricting following the 2000 census) from 1997 until 2003, sought re-election in the new 15th district.

Nominee

 * John Shimkus, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Angela Michael, retired nurse

District 16
In redistricting, the 16th district was moved south to incorporate Livingston and Iroquois counties and parts of Ford County. Republican U.S. Representatives Adam Kinzinger, who had represented the 11th district since January 2011, and Don Manzullo, who had represented the 16th district since 1993, sought re-election in the new 16th district.

Nominee

 * Adam Kinzinger, incumbent U.S. Representative from the 11th district

Eliminated in primary

 * Don Manzullo, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

 * Frank Gambino, majority leader of the Winnebago County Board; he announced in September 2011 that he would instead run for the Illinois Senate

Nominee

 * Wanda Rohl, social worker

Independents
Bronco Bojovic, a businessman, had planned to run as an Independent candidate but dropped out of the race in February 2012.

District 17
The 17th district, based in Rock Island and Moline, was extended to include most of Rockford and the more Democratic areas of Peoria and Tazewell County, thereby making it more favorable to Democrats. Republican Bobby Schilling, who had represented the district since January 2011, ran for re-election.

Nominee

 * Bobby Schilling, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Cheri Bustos, East Moline alderwoman

Eliminated in primary

 * Greg Aguilar, director of multicultural services at Augustana College
 * George Gaulrapp, Mayor of Freeport

Withdrawn

 * Eric Reyes, attorney

Declined

 * Mike Boland, former state representative
 * Phil Hare, former U.S. Representative
 * Dave Koehler, state senator
 * Porter McNeill, activist
 * Mark Schwiebert, former mayor of Rock Island

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, October 25, 2012

District 18
Republican Aaron Schock, who had represented the 18th district since 2009, ran for and won re-election. The district was one of two which were expected to remain strongly favorable to Republicans. Peoria's more Democratic southern portion was shifted to the 17th district, and was replaced by the heavily Republican Bloomington-Normal and Quincy areas.

Nominee

 * Aaron Schock, incumbent U.S. Representative

Disqualified

 * Darrel Miller, farmer; removed from the ballot by the Illinois Board of Elections in February 2012

Nominee

 * Steve Waterworth, farmer and former master sergeant in the Air Force and Air National Guard

Eliminated in primary

 * Matthew Woodmancy, restaurant manager