The elections overall saw a strong performance by the Democratic Party.
Democrats retained their control of both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly and all statewide executive offices, winning all the statewide executive offices by broad margins. Democrats swept the election for University of Illinois trustees. Democrats also carried the state in the presidential election. Democratic United States senatorJ. Hamilton Lewis was reelected. Democrats retained all 21 U.S. congressional seats they held in the state, while Republicans retained all 6 seats they held.
Election information
Turnout
In the primaries, 2,674,613 ballots were cast (1,597,418 Democratic and 1,077,195 Republican).[1]
In the general election, 3,995,088 ballots were cast.[1]
No seats switched parties. The partisan makeup of the state's United States House of Representatives delegation remained 21 Democrats and 6 Republicans.
Challenging both Democratic nominee Henry Horner and Republican nominee Charles W. Brooks, Republican former Chicago mayorWilliam Hale Thompson ran on the Union Progressive Party of Illinois' ballot line. There were also several other minor candidates.
No candidates ran in the Republican primary. The party ultimately nominated Charles W. Hadley, who had been the distant runner-up in the Democratic primary.[1]
Incumbent first-term TreasurerJohn Henry Stelle, a Democrat, did not seek reelection, instead running for lieutenant governor. Democrat John C. Martin was elected to succeed him in office, granting Martin a second nonconsecutive term as Illinois Treasurer.
Democratic primary
Former Illinois Treasurer, John C. Martin, won the Democratic primary.
Seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1940. Democrats retained control of the chamber.
State House of Representatives
Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1940. Democrats retained control of the chamber.
Cumulative voting and 59 three-seat districts were used in this election. Member(s) of both of the two main parties were elected in each district.
All three incumbents whose terms were expiring (second-term Republican George A. Barr, first-term Republican Edward E. Barrett, and first-term Democrat Walter W. Winslow) were not nominated for reelection.[1][6]
New Democratic members Homer Mat Adams, James Mansfield Cleary, and Louis C. Moschel were elected.[1][6]
Trustees of the University of Illinois election[1][6]
Democratic nominee Grendel F. Bennett defeated Republican nominee V. W. McIntire (50,216 votes to 42,026 votes) to fill the 5th district vacancy left by the resignation of Craig Van Meter.[1]
Democratic nominee Horace H. Baker defeated Republican nominee Lester H. Martin (43,987 votes to 43,877 votes) to fill the 11th district vacancy left by death of Peter Murphy.[1]
Democratic nominee Francis J. Coyle defeated Republican nominee Albert M. Crampton (51,609 votes to 50,163 votes) to fill the 14th district vacancy left by death of J. Paul Califf.[1]
Despite dying before the election, Republican nominee William J. Emerson defeated Democratic nominee James B. Sheean (38,712 votes to 30,184 votes) to fill the 15th district vacancy left by death of Frank T. Sheean.[1]