An Examination of the 2018 Illinois Governor Race

Abstract

During the 2018 Midterm elections, Democrat J.B. Pritzker comfortably defeated Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner by a margin of over 15% to become Governor of Illinois. The margin by which Pritzker defeated Rauner disguised how competitive and complicated this race actually was. The Illinois Governor race illustrated many of the modern issues in American politics ranging from racial tensions, to negative attack ads and big money. This project explored how these major factors effected the outcome of the gubernatorial election. It also highlighted other issues effecting the State of Illinois including; budget crises, years of persistent violent crime, and multiple corruption scandals. This project’s presentation also provided visuals of state demographics, voting maps, and the amounts of money spent by both the major party candidates.