# 1988 Cook County, Illinois, elections

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vte :
The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 8, 1988.
Primaries were held March 15, 1988.
Elections were held for Clerk of the Circuit Court, Recorder of Deeds, State's Attorney, one seat on the Cook County Board of Appeals, three seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.

## Election information

1988 was a presidential election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal races (President and House) and those for state elections.

### Voter turnout
#### Primary election

Turnout in the primaries was 45.63%, with 1,236,750 ballots cast.
Vote totals of primaries :
| Primary | Chicago vote totals | Suburban Cook County vote totals | Total Cook County vote totals |
| Democratic | 742,281 | 244,812 | 987,093 |
| Republican | 83,625 | 161,042 | 244,667 |
| Illinois Solidarity | 127 | 77 | 204 |
| Nonpartisan | 733 | 6,053 | 6,786 |
| Total | 826,766 | 411,984 | 1,236,750 |

#### General election

The general election saw turnout of 72.56%, with 2,095,985 ballots cast. Chicago saw 1,14,080 ballots cast, and suburban Cook County saw 981,905 ballots cast.

### Straight-ticket voting

Ballots had a straight-ticket voting option in 1988.
| Party | Number of straight-ticket votes |
| Democratic | 442,219 |
| Republican | 276,923 |
| Communist | 102 |
| Illinois Solidarity | 508 |
| John Davis Comm. Act. | 0 |
| Independent Tax Reform | 974 |
| Independent Progressive | 0 |
| Libertarian | 1,531 |
| Marie Goodlow Party | 348 |

## Clerk of the Circuit Court

In the 1988 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election, incumbent clerk Morgan M. Finley, a Democrat, did not seek reelection. Democrat Aurelia Pucinski was elected to succeed him.

### Primaries
#### Democratic
##### Candidates

The following candidates ran for the Democratic Party nomination for Clerk of the Circuit Court:
| Candidate | Experience |
| Jane Byrne | Former mayor of Chicago (1979–1983) |
| Thomas S. Fuller | Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 1978 |
| Janice Hart | 1984 Democratic nominee for Illinois Secretary of State, supporter of the LaRouche movement |
| Aurelia Pucinski | Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 1984 |

##### Results

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Aurelia Marie Pucinski | 407,958 | 51.96 |
| | Democratic | Jane M. Byrne | 296,298 | 37.74 |
| | Democratic | Thomas S. Fuller | 60,863 | 7.75 |
| | Democratic | Janice A. Hart | 20,061 | 2.55 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 785,180 | 100 |

#### Republican
##### Candidate

The following candidate ran for the Republican Party nomination for Clerk of the Circuit Court:
| Candidate | Candidate | Experience | Ref |
| | Edward Vrdolyak | Former Chicago alderman (1971–1987), former president of the Chicago City Council (1977–1983), former Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party (1982–1987), 1987 Illinois Solidarity Party nominee for mayor of Chicago | |

##### Results

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Edward R. Vrdolyak | 191,798 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 191,798 | 100 |

#### Illinois Solidarity

No candidates ran in the Illinois Solidarity Party primary.

### General election

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Aurelia Marie Pucinski | 1,170,558 | 59.38 |
| | Republican | Edward R. Vrdolyak | 800,783 | 40.62 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,971,341 | 100 |

## Recorder of Deeds

In the 1988 Cook County Recorder of Deeds election, incumbent first-term recorder of deeds Harry Yourell, a Democrat, did not seek reelection, instead running to be a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Democrat Carol Moseley Braun was elected to succeed him.
Mosely Braun's election made her the first African-American to hold the office of Cook County recorder of deeds.

### Primaries
#### Democratic
##### Candidates

The following candidate ran for the Democratic Party nomination for Cook County Recorder of Deeds Court:
| Candidate | Candidate | Experience | Ref |
| | Sheila A. Jones | Perennial candidate | |
| | Carol Moseley Braun | Member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 1979 | |

##### Results

Cook County Recorder of Deeds Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Carol Moseley Braun | 424,480 | 78.05 |
| | Democratic | Sheila A. Jones | 119,372 | 21.95 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 543,852 | 100 |

#### Republican
##### Candidates

The following candidate ran for the Democratic Party nomination for Cook County Recorder of Deeds Court:
| Candidate | Experience | Ref |
| Maureen Murphy | Worth Township Clerk | |
| Bernard Stone | Chicago alderman since 1973 | |

##### Results

Cook County Recorder of Deeds Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Bernard L. Stone | 114,985 | 59.31 |
| | Republican | Maureen Murphy | 78,895 | 40.69 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 193,880 | 100 |

#### Illinois Solidarity

No candidates ran in the Illinois Solidarity Party primary. The party ultimately nominated Edward M. Wojkowski.

### General election

Cook County Recorder of Deeds election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Carol Moseley Braun | 1,020,805 | 54.32 |
| | Republican | Bernard L. Stone | 795,540 | 42.33 |
| | Illinois Solidarity | Edward M. Wojkowski | 62,968 | 3.35 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,879,313 | 100 |

## State's Attorney

In the 1988 Cook County State's Attorney election, incumbent second-term state's attorney Richard M. Daley, a Democrat, was reelected.

### Primaries
#### Democratic

Cook County State's Attorney Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Richard M. Daley (incumbent) | 641,789 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 641,789 | 100 |

#### Republican

Cook County State's Attorney Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Terrance W. Gainer | 177,879 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 177,879 | 100 |

#### Illinois Solidarity

No candidates ran in the Illinois Solidarity Party primary.

### General election

Cook County State's Attorney election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Richard M. Daley (incumbent) | 1,303,906 | 66.70 |
| | Republican | Terrance W. Gainer | 650,942 | 33.30 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,954,848 | 100 |

## Cook County Board of Appeals (special election)

In the 1988 Cook County Board of Appeals special election, one seat on the board were up for election. Due to the death of Harry Semrow, this special election was held to fill the seat he had served on. Democrat Joseph Berrios was elected to fill the seat.
Thomas A. Jaconetty had been appointed to hold the seat until the new commissioner elected in this race would be seated.

### Primaries
#### Democratic

31st Ward committeeman Joseph Berrios, the Democratic Party organization-endorsed candidate, won the Democratic primary.
Cook County Board of Appeals Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Joseph Berrios | 302,253 | 54.47 |
| | Democratic | Jeffrey Paul Smith | 252,633 | 45.53 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 554,886 | 100 |

#### Republican

Cook County Board of Appeals Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | David R. Wiltse | 154,447 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 154,447 | 100 |

#### Illinois Solidarity

No candidates ran in the Illinois Solidarity Party primary.

### General election

Cook County Board of Appeals Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Joseph Berrios | 1,170,558 | 60.68 |
| | Republican | David R. Wiltse | 714,736 | 39.32 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,885,294 | 100 |

## Water Reclamation District Board

In the 1988 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, three of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election in an at-large election. All three Democratic nominees won.

## Judicial elections

Pasrtisan elections were held for judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County due to vacancies. Retention elections were also held for the Circuit Court.

## Other elections

Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect the Democratic, Republican, and Illinois Solidarity committeemen for the wards of Chicago.