1984 United States Senate election in Illinois
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The 1984 United States Senate election in Illinois took place on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican Senator Charles H. Percy ran for re-election to a fourth term. He was opposed by Democratic nominee Paul Simon, who was a United States Congressman from Illinois's 22nd congressional district. The campaign between Percy and Simon was contentious and brutally fought, and ended up with Simon ousting Percy by fewer than 90,000 votes, which was, at the time, considered an upset. Incidentally, Percy's son-in-law Jay Rockefeller was elected Senator from West Virginia in the same election cycle. This is the most recent election for this seat in Illinois where both candidates are deceased.
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November 6, 1984
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| Turnout | 73.99% | ||||||||||||||||
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  Simon: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% <90% Percy: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tie: 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Roland Burris, Illinois State Comptroller
- Philip J. Rock, state senator from Oak Park
- Gerald M. Rose, member of the LaRouche movement
- Alex Seith, nominee for Senate in 1978 and candidate in 1980
- Paul Simon, U.S. Representative from Makanda
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Paul Simon | 556,757 | 35.56 | |
| Democratic | Roland W. Burris | 360,182 | 23.01 | |
| Democratic | Alex Seith | 327,125 | 20.90 | |
| Democratic | Philip J. Rock | 303,397 | 19.38 | |
| Democratic | Gerald M. Rose | 17,985 | 1.15 | |
| Write-in | 49 | 0.00 | ||
| Total votes | 1,565,495 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Richard J. Castic
- Tom Corcoran, U.S. Representative from Ottawa
- V. A. Kelley
- Charles H. Percy, incumbent senator since 1967
- John E. Roche, candidate for governor in 1982
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles H. Percy (incumbent) | 387,865 | 59.30 | |
| Republican | Tom Corcoran | 239,847 | 36.67 | |
| Republican | John E. Roche | 13,533 | 2.07 | |
| Republican | V. A. Kelley | 9,236 | 1.41 | |
| Republican | Richard J. Castic | 3,607 | 0.55 | |
| Write-in | 45 | 0.01 | ||
| Total votes | 654,088 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Rating | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[3] | Toss Up | September 19, 1984 |
Candidates
- Ishmael Flory, perennial candidate (Communist)
- Steve I. Givot (Libertarian)
- Nelson Gonzalez (Socialist Workers)
- Charles H. Percy, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1967 (Republican)
- Marjorie H. Pries (Independent)
- Paul Simon, U.S. Representative from Makanda (Democratic)
Results
The election was very close. Simon prevailed by only 89,126 votes, or 1.86%. Incumbent Percy did well throughout the state, including the Chicago collar counties. Nevertheless, in the heavily populated and Democratic Cook County, which encompasses the city of Chicago and the majority of the Chicago Metropolitan Area, Simon ran ahead of Percy by over 300,000 votes. Simon also won most counties in southwestern Illinois, a traditionally Democratic region.[4] Percy led early on and well into the night, but as Cook County began to count all of its votes, Simon pulled ahead. Simon won despite then-president Reagan winning the state easily. Percy called Simon at around 5 A.M. the next day and conceded. Percy also congratulated Simon on his hard-earned victory. Simon was sworn in on January 3, 1985, and served in the Senate until January 3, 1997, when he retired. Simon was later succeeded by Dick Durbin, a close friend and fellow Democrat.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Paul Simon | 2,397,165 | 50.07% |  4.60 | |
| Republican | Charles Percy (incumbent) | 2,308,039 | 48.21% |  5.13 | |
| Libertarian | Steve I. Givot | 59,777 | 1.25% | 0.74 | |
| Citizens | Marjorie H. Pries | 12,366 | 0.26% | N/A | |
| Socialist Workers | Nelson Gonzalez | 4,913 | 0.10% | 0.40 | |
| Communist | Ishmael Flory | 4,802 | 0.10% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 273 | 0.01% | 0.01 | ||
| Majority | 89,126 | 1.86% | 6.00 | ||
| Turnout | 4,787,335 | 73.99% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||