# 1948 Illinois elections

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vte :
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 2, 1948.
Primaries were held April 13, 1948.

## Election information
### Turnout

In the primaries, 1,649,655 ballots were cast (745,645 Democratic and 904,010 Republican).
In the general election, 4,075,090 ballots were cast.

## Federal elections
### United States President

Illinois voted for the Democratic ticket of Harry S. Truman and Alben W. Barkley.

### United States Senate

Incumbent Republican Charles W. Brooks lost reelection to Democrat Paul Douglas.

### United States House

All 26 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1948.
Illinois had redistricted before this election, eliminating its at-large district.

## State elections
### Governor

Incumbent Governor Dwight H. Green, a Republican seeking a third term, lost reelection to Democrat Adlai Stevenson II.
Stevenson's victory was regarded as a surprise upset, and his margin of victory of 572,067 votes was, at the time, record breaking for an Illinois gubernatorial election.

#### General election

Gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Adlai E. Stevenson | 2,250,074 | 57.11 |
| | Republican | Dwight H. Green (incumbent) | 1,678,007 | 42.59 |
| | Prohibition | Willis Ray Wilson | 9,491 | 0.24 |
| | Socialist Labor | Louis Fisher | 2,673 | 0.07 |
| | Write-in | Others | 12 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,940,257 | 100 |

### Lieutenant governor

Incumbent lieutenant governor Hugh W. Cross, a Republican, did not seek reelection to a third term. Democrat Sherwood Dixon was elected to succeed him in office.

#### Democratic primary

Lieutenant gubernatorial Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Sherwood Dixon | 578,390 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 578,390 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Lieutenant gubernatorial Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Richard Yates Rowe | 684,452 | 100 |
| | Write-in | Others | 4 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 684,464 | 100 |

#### General election

Lieutenant gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Sherwood Dixon | 1,998,555 | 52.22 |
| | Republican | Richard Yates Rowe | 1,815,907 | 47.45 |
| | Prohibition | R. B. Campbell | 9,949 | 0.26 |
| | Socialist Labor | O. Alfred Olson | 2,897 | 0.08 |
| | Write-in | Others | 3 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,827,311 | 100 |

### Attorney general

Incumbent attorney general George F. Barrett, a Republican running for a third term, lost to Democrat Ivan A. Elliott

#### Democratic primary

Attorney General Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ivan A. Elliott | 283,831 | 51.85 |
| | Democratic | Joseph P. Burke | 263,586 | 48.15 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 547,417 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Attorney General Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | George F. Barrett (incumbent) | 694,186 | 100 |
| | Write-in | Others | 1 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 694,187 | |

#### General election

Attorney General election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ivan A. Elliott | 2,019,401 | 52.61 |
| | Republican | George F. Barrett (incumbent) | 1,806,137 | 47.06 |
| | Prohibition | Frederick Juchhoff | 9,613 | 0.25 |
| | Socialist Labor | Edward C. Gross | 3,118 | 0.08 |
| | Write-in | Others | 4 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,838,273 | 100 |

### Secretary of State

The Secretary of State Edward J. Barrett, a Democrat, was reelected to a second term.

#### Democratic primary

Secretary of State Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Edward J. Barrett (incumbent) | 591,821 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 591,821 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Former Illinois Treasurer and incumbent congressman William Stratton won the Republican primary, running unopposed.
Secretary of State Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | William G. Stratton | 713,430 | 100 |
| | Write-in | Others | 2 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 713,432 | |

#### General election

Secretary of State election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Edward J. Barrett (incumbent) | 2,120,832 | 54.49 |
| | Republican | William G. Stratton | 1,759,083 | 45.19 |
| | Prohibition | Maude Swits Stowell | 9,636 | 0.25 |
| | Socialist Labor | Gregory P. Lyngas | 2,896 | 0.07 |
| | Write-in | Others | 6 | 0.07 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,892,453 | 100 |

### Auditor of Public Accounts

Incumbent Auditor of Public Accounts Arthur C. Lueder, a Republican, did not seek reelection to a third term. Democrat Benjamin O. Cooper was elected to succeed him in office.

#### Democratic primary

Auditor of Public Accounts Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Benjamin O. Cooper | 543,319 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 543,319 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Auditor of Public Accounts Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Sinon A. Murray | 648,460 | 100 |
| | Write-in | Others | 2 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 648,462 | 100 |

#### General election

Auditor of Public Accounts election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Benjamin O. Cooper | 2,030,222 | 53.15 |
| | Republican | Sinon A. Murray | 1,776,396 | 46.51 |
| | Prohibition | Irving B. Gilbert | 10,156 | 0.27 |
| | Socialist Labor | Nick Mays | 2,960 | 0.08 |
| | Write-in | Others | 2 | 0.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,819,736 | 100 |

### Treasurer

Incumbent first-term Treasurer Richard Yates Rowe, a Republican, did not seek reelection, instead opting to run for lieutenant governor. Democrat Ora Smith was elected to succeed him in office.

#### Democratic primary

Treasurer Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ora Smith | 541,808 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 541,808 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Treasurer Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Elmer H. Droste | 644,417 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 644,417 | |

#### General election

Treasurer election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ora Smith | 2,026,268 | 53.20 |
| | Republican | Elmer H. Droste | 1,769,775 | 46.46 |
| | Prohibition | Rupert J. Jordan | 10,043 | 0.26 |
| | Socialist Labor | Rudolph Kosie | 3,024 | 0.08 |
| | Write-in | Others | 3 | 0.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,809,113 | 100 |

### State Senate

Seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1948. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

### State House of Representatives

Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1948. Democrats flipped control of the chamber.

### Trustees of University of Illinois

An election was held for three of the nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois. All three Democratic nominees won. The election was for six-year terms.
4,078,146 ballots were cast in the election.
All three who were elected had never before held office as Trustees of the University of Illinois. Incumbent Republican Chester R. Davis lost reelection. Fellow Republican incumbents Martin Gerard Luken Sr. and Frank Hotchkiss McKelvey were not nominated for what would have been a second term.
Trustees of the University of Illinois election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Robert Z. Hickman | 1,952,705½ | 17.25 |
| | Democratic | Frances Best Watkins | 1,933,764½ | 16.95 |
| | Democratic | George Wirt Herrick | 1,918,521 | 16.95 |
| | Republican | Chester R. Davis (incumbent) | 1,860,339 | 16.43 |
| | Republican | Dr. W. L. Crawford | 1,837,011 | 16.23 |
| | Republican | Charles L. Engstrom | 1,781,733½ | 15.74 |
| | Prohibition | E.N. Himmel | 11,417½ | 0.10 |
| | Prohibition | Regina Ethel Ruyle | 10,988 | 0.10 |
| | Prohibition | Ross E. Price | 10,890½ | 0.10 |
| | Socialist Labor | Loren M. Johnson | 3,332 | 0.03 |
| | Socialist Labor | Bernard Campbell | 3,222 | 0.03 |
| | Socialist Labor | Henry Cortez | 3,139 | 0.03 |
| | Write-in | Others | 2 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 11,321,024½ | 100 |

### Judicial elections

Special judicial elections were held to fill vacancies.

#### Circuit Courts
##### Tenth Judicial Circuit (vacancy caused by resignation of Joseph E. Daily)

Tenth Judicial Circuit (vacancy caused by resignation of Joseph E. Daily) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Howard White | 52,182 | 52.06 |
| | Democratic | Baird V. Helfrich | 48,062 | 47.95 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 100,244 | 100 |

##### Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (vacancy caused by death of Frank H. Hayes)

This election was held on November 2, 1948.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (vacancy caused by death of Frank H. Hayes) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Robert E. Larkin | 37,341 | 53.76 |
| | Republican | S J Holderman | 32,118 | 46.24 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 69,459 | 100 |

## Local elections

Local elections were held.