Illinois down ballot state executive elections, 2014
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November 4, 2014 |
March 18, 2014 |
Down Ballot Treasurer, Controller |
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Two down ballot state executive positions were up for election in the state of Illinois in 2014. The two down ballot offices on the ballot in 2014 were the Illinois Treasurer and the Illinois Comptroller. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Incumbent Treasurer Dan Rutherford (R) ran unsuccessfully in the Republican gubernatorial primary, leaving his office open after the general election. Tom Cross (R), Mike Frerichs (D) and Matt Skopek (L) sought to replace Rutherford. Frerichs won the election following two weeks of uncertainty as county election officials counted ballots. Judy Baar Topinka (R) won another term as comptroller against Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (D) and Julie Fox (L).
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Illinois uses an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party, but they do have to choose, publicly, which party's ballot they will vote on at the primary election.[1][2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Treasurer
Candidates
General election
Tom Cross - State Rep. and House Minority Leader[3]
Mike Frerichs
Matt Skopek - Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Illinois
Filed for other office
Dan Rutherford - Incumbent[5]
Lost in primary
Bob Grogan - DuPage County Auditor, CPA[6]
Failed to qualify
Results
General election
| Illinois Treasurer, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Michael Frerichs |
48.1% | 1,694,884 | |
| Republican | Tom Cross | 47.8% | 1,685,659 | |
| Libertarian | Matt Skopek | 4.2% | 146,654 | |
| Total Votes | 3,527,197 | |||
| Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Primary election
Republican primary
| Illinois Treasurer, Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Tom Cross |
57.4% | 397,691 | ||
| Bob Grogan | 42.6% | 295,682 | ||
| Total Votes | 693,373 | |||
| Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections. | ||||
Democratic primary
- Uncontested
Race background
Narrow margin of victory for Frerichs
The treasurer's race was among a small handful of state executive elections in the United States that could not be decided on November 4. Republican candidate Tom Cross led Democratic candidate Mike Frerichs by 21,000 votes out of 3.4 million votes cast in the race according to a November 5 tally. Cross's narrow lead shrunk after absentee and provision ballots were counted the following week. The Cross campaign complained that Cook County balloting revealed instances of voter fraud and counting irregularities. Cross conceded to Frerichs on November 19, 2014, after all counties reported their results and gave Frerichs a lead of less than 10,000 votes.[7][8]
Duties
The specific duties of the treasurer are outlined in Article V, Section 18 of the Illinois Constitution.
Article V, Section 18, Treasurer - Duties: "The Treasurer, in accordance with law, shall be responsible for the safekeeping and investment of monies and securities deposited with him, and for their disbursement upon order of the Comptroller."
The main duty performed by this office is investing the state money collected and distributing it as needed. The office also offers programs to help state citizens with their own financial well-being such as classes to help manage money. A college savings program is also run by the office to help students in need as well as keeping track and returning unclaimed property.
Campaign finance
Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $4,786,198 during the election. This information was last updated on May 13, 2015.[9]
| Campaign Contribution Totals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| Michael Frerichs |
Illinois Treasurer | $2,445,244 | ||
| Tom Cross |
Illinois Treasurer | $2,221,621 | ||
| Bob Grogan |
Illinois Treasurer | $119,333 | ||
| Matthew Skopek |
Illinois Treasurer | $0 | ||
| Grand Total Raised | $4,786,198 | |||
Polls
General election
| Illinois Treasurer - General election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Tom Cross | Michael Frerichs | Matt Skopek | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| Reboot Illinois (October 7, 2014) | 40.4% | 39% | 5.6% | 15% | +/-2.98 | 1,083 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Primary election
| Illinois Treasurer - Republican Primary 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Bob Grogan | Tom Cross | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Battleground Polling (November 11, 2013) | 13% | 27% | 60% | +/-3.97 | 535 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Past elections
2010
| Illinois State Treasurer General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Dan Rutherford |
49.7% | 1,811,293 | |
| Democratic | Robin Kelly | 45.3% | 1,650,244 | |
| Green | Scott K. Summers | 3.2% | 115,772 | |
| Libertarian | James Pauly | 1.9% | 68,803 | |
| Total Votes | 3,646,112 | |||
| Election results via Follow The Money | ||||
Comptroller
Candidates
General election
Judy Baar Topinka - Incumbent
Sheila Simon - Current Lieutenant Governor of Illinois[10]
Julie Fox - Certified public accountant[11]
Failed to qualify
Tim Curtin
Timothy Goodcase[12]
Results
General election
| Illinois Controller, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Judy Baar Topinka Incumbent |
49.6% | 1,775,983 | |
| Democratic | Sheila Simon | 45.7% | 1,636,593 | |
| Libertarian | Julie Fox | 4.8% | 170,534 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0% | 176 | |
| Total Votes | 3,583,286 | |||
| Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Duties
The comptroller's main duties include maintaining the state's fiscal accounts, ordering payments into the treasury and issuing warrants against any funds held by the treasurer.
The specific duties of the comptroller are outlined in Article V, Section 17 of the Illinois Constitution.
Article V, Section 17, Comptroller - Duties: "The Comptroller, in accordance with law, shall maintain the State's central fiscal accounts, and order payments into and out of the funds held by the Treasurer."
Campaign finance
Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $2,478,604 during the election. This information was last updated on May 13, 2015.[13]
| Campaign Contribution Totals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| Judy Baar Topinka |
Illinois Comptroller | $1,342,482 | ||
| Sheila Simon |
Illinois Comptroller | $1,133,143 | ||
| Julie Fox |
Illinois Comptroller | $2,979 | ||
| Grand Total Raised | $2,478,604 | |||
Polls
| Illinois Comptroller - General election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Judy Baar Topinka | Sheila Simon | Julie Fox | Undecided | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Reboot Illinois (October 8, 2014) | 52.5% | 34.3% | 4.3% | 8.9% | 1,070 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Past elections
2010
| Illinois State Comptroller, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Judy Baar Topinka |
52.6% | 1,927,139 | |
| Democratic | David E. Miller | 40.9% | 1,497,263 | |
| Libertarian | Julie Fox | 3.3% | 121,068 | |
| Green | R. Erika Schafer | 3.2% | 116,712 | |
| Total Votes | 3,662,182 | |||
| Election results via Follow the Money | ||||
Key deadlines
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 2, 2013 | Last day of petition filing for established political parties |
| January 16, 2014 | Last day to file a Declaration of Intent to be a write-in candidate |
| March 18, 2014 | Primary election |
| November 4, 2014 | General election |
| November 25, 2014 | Last day for canvassing election results by proper canvassing board |
| January 12, 2015 | Inauguration day for state executive officials in general election |
Recent news
Comptroller
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Illinois + State + Comptroller + Election"
Treasurer
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Illinois + State + Treasurer + Election"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Compiled Statutes 10 ILCS 5/7-41," accessed August 12, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 12, 2024
- ↑ The State Journal-Register, "Cross to announce bid for treasurer Wednesday," September 17, 2013
- ↑ The State Journal-Register, "Illinois Sen. Frerichs plans run for treasurer," June 21, 2013
- ↑ The Southern, "Rutherford announces gov. campaign in Southern Illinois," June 2, 2013
- ↑ Bob Grogan for Treasurer 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed September 30, 2013
- ↑ ABC 7 Chicago, "FRAUD ALLEGATIONS EMERGE IN TIGHT TREASURER'S VOTE COUNT," November 10, 2014
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Cross concedes defeat in Illinois treasurer race," November 19, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of Illinois 2014 elections," accessed May 13, 2015
- ↑ CBS Local - Chicago, "2014 Governor Candidates To Choose Running Mates," August 24, 2013
- ↑ ABC7 News, "Julie Fox, Candidate for Illinois Comptroller," accessed September 25, 2013
- ↑ Independent Political Report, "Constitution Party of Illinois nominates statewide candidates," March 24, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of Illinois 2014 elections," accessed May 13, 2015
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