2020 United States Senate election in Illinois

The 2020 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections and the Illinois Fair Tax. Incumbent Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who had been Senate Minority Whip since 2015, won reelection to a fifth term in office, defeating Republican nominee Mark Curran.

Durbin decisively won re-election with 54.9% of the vote. Key to Durbin's landslide victory was the heavily populated and very Democratic Cook County home of Chicago, which he won by around 560,000 votes. Durbin also did well in the suburban, often called collar counties of Chicago, winning all of them except McHenry County. Durbin did well in Champaign County, home of the University of Illinois, and St. Clair County, where his birth home of East St. Louis is located. Nevertheless, Curran did well in most rural areas of the state, including winning rural Alexander County where a Republican had not won since 1972. Durbin became the first senator from Illinois to be elected five consecutive times since senators began being elected by popular vote in 1913.

Election information
The primaries and general elections coincide with those for federal (president and House) and those for state offices.

Turnout
For the primaries, turnout was 28.36% with 2,279,439 votes cast.

Nominee

 * Dick Durbin, incumbent U.S. senator and Senate Minority Whip

Withdrawn

 * Marilyn Jordan Lawlor, anti-war activist
 * Anne Stava-Murray, state representative

Declined

 * Cheri Bustos, incumbent U.S. representative for Illinois's 17th congressional district (running for re-election)
 * Lisa Madigan, former Illinois Attorney General

Nominee

 * Mark Curran, former Lake County sheriff and candidate for attorney general in 2014

Eliminated in primary

 * Casey Chlebek, businessman
 * Peggy Hubbard, U.S. Navy veteran and former police officer
 * Robert Marshall, physician and perennial candidate, Democratic primary candidate for Governor of Illinois in 2018
 * Richard Mayers (as a write-in candidate), perennial candidate and alleged white supremacist;
 * Tom Tarter, cancer surgeon

Withdrew

 * Preston Nelson, Republican candidate for Illinois's 12th congressional district in 2018 (Ran for IL-08 as a Libertarian)
 * Dean Seppelfrick
 * Connor Vlakancic, CEO of 5Star Inc. (switched to independent)

Declined

 * Rodney Davis, incumbent U.S. representative for Illinois's 13th congressional district (running for re-election)
 * Erika Harold, attorney, former Miss America, candidate for IL-13 in 2014, and nominee for attorney general in 2018
 * Darin LaHood, incumbent U.S. representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district (running for re-election)

Results
[[File:Illinois Senate Republican primary, 2020.svg|thumb|upright|250px|Results by county Curran

{{legend|#c83737|Curran—60–70%}}

{{legend|#d35f5f|Curran—50–60%}}

{{legend|#de8787|Curran—40–50%}}

{{legend|#e9afaf|Curran—30–40%}}

{{legend|#f4d7d7|Curran—<30%}} Hubbard

{{legend|#87de87ff|Hubbard—40–50%}}

{{legend|#afe9afff|Hubbard—30–40%}}

{{legend|#d7f4d7ff|Hubbard—<30}} Tarter

{{legend|#e9ddafff|Tarter—30–40%}}

{{legend|#f4eed7ff|Tarter—<30}} ]]

Other candidates
A legal ruling, taking note of the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois, allowed the Libertarian and Green Parties to have their selected candidate on the ballot without the normal signature requirements, as they each ran a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016.

Removed from Ballot

 * Chad Koppie, Constitution Party nominee for the 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election, write-in nominee for the 2016 US Senate election in Illinois, candidate for the 2014 US Senate election in Illinois, Kane County School Board Member and retired pilot

Nominee

 * David F. Black, Green Party nominee for Illinois Attorney General in 2010

Withdrawn

 * Keith Richardson

Nominee

 * Danny Malouf, human resource director, former Republican candidate for the 2020 Illinois 14th congressional district election

Declared

 * Willie Wilson, businessman and perennial candidate

Declared

 * Kevin Keely, substitute teacher and community activist (as a write-in candidate)
 * Albert A. Schaal (as a write-in candidate)
 * Lowell Martin Seida, perennial candidate (as a write-in candidate)

Withdrawn

 * Patrick Feges
 * Julie Rushing
 * Connor Vlakancic, affiliated with the Republican Party (switched from Republican candidacy)

Polling

 * with Dick Durbin, generic Republican and Willie Wilson


 * with Dick Durbin and Willie Wilson

Results
Durbin also kept his landslide winning streak by winning with at least a ten-point margin. Durbin was sworn in on January 3, 2021, for his fifth term, which expires on January 3, 2027.

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Alexander (Largest city: Cairo)
 * Calhoun (Largest village: Hardin)
 * Fulton (Largest city: Canton)
 * Gallatin (Largest city: Shawneetown)
 * Henderson (Largest village: Oquawka)
 * Knox (Largest city: Galesburg)
 * Pulaski (Largest city: Mounds)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

 * DeKalb (Largest city: DeKalb)
 * DuPage (Largest city: Aurora)
 * Kane (Largest city: Aurora)
 * Kendall (Largest village: Oswego)
 * McLean (Largest city: Bloomington)
 * Peoria (Largest city: Peoria)
 * Will (Largest city: Joliet)
 * Winnebago (Largest city: Rockford)