Illinois's 17th congressional district election, 2010 was held on November 2, 2010 to determine who would represent Illinois's 17th District in the 112th United States Congress. The seat contested was located in western and parts of central Illinois. Democratic incumbent Phil Hare had held the seat since 2006 and was running for re-election. The Republican nominee was Bobby Schilling. The Green Party nominee was Roger K. Davis.[1]
Schilling won the election in an upset with 53% of the vote.[2]
Race
Background
Hare was elected in 2006 with 57% of the vote and was unopposed in United States elections, 2008. Schilling is a restaurateur and owns Saint Giuseppe's Heavenly Pizza in East Moline, Illinois, which he started in 1997. Both were unopposed in their respective primaries.[3]
Once thought to be safe by political analysts, Hare's seat was in trouble in the summer of 2010 as Schilling made his challenge.[4] The New York Times's final rating was "Tossup",[5] as was that of CQ Politics.[6] RealClearPolitics's final rating was "Leans Democrat".[7] FiveThirtyEight gave Schilling a 63% chance of winning.[5] Politico rated it #5 on its list of "hottest House races in the country".[8]
Though both were unopposed in their respective primaries, primary elections were still held as voters went to the polls to vote in other races. Out of 64,141 total votes cast in each party for the February 2nd Illinois primary, Hare took 32,496 votes (50.66%) to Schilling's 31,645 (49.34%).[1][9] "After the results of yesterday’s election, one thing is clear: voters are ready for a clean break from the failed ideas of the past," Schilling said after the primary. "Voter turnout shows that my Democrat opponent and I nearly had identical votes."[10] Because of the close results, National Review said the race is "worth keeping an eye on."[11]
General election campaign
National organizations were heavily involved in the race, with the National Republican Congressional Committee injecting $350,000 into the race and the conservative American Future Fund buying $500,000 worth of ads in the district, both on behalf of Schilling.[12] The Republican National Committee funded the opening of a "Victory Center" similar to that used for the campaign of Sen. Scott Brown in 2010.[13] On Hare's side, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee bought $90,000 worth of airtime and SEIU bought $317,000 for similar commercials alleging Schilling wants to send jobs overseas, which the Schilling campaign denies.[12][14]
Schilling's campaign outraised Hare's by $51,000 in Q3 2010 and had more cash on hand than Hare as of September 30.[15][16][17]
All three candidates participated in one televised debate on October 26, which covered topics ranging from social security, taxes, and job creation to abortion and stem cell research.[18]
Endorsements
Schilling received the endorsements of the Illinois Federation for the Right to Life PAC,[19] the Republican National Coalition for Life PAC,[20] the Quincy Tea Party,[21] Congressman Aaron Schock,[22] Congressman John Shimkus,[23] Sgt. John F. Baker, Jr., recipient of the Medal of Honor,[24] Rep. Michele Bachmann,[25] CatholicVote PAC,[26] former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney,[27] John Deere PAC,[28] the Chicago Tribune,[29] and the United States Chamber of Commerce.[30]
Hare was endorsed by the Sierra Club[31] and Veterans of Foreign Wars.[29]
Fundraising
Figures are final as of December 31, 2010.
|
Candidate (Party)
|
Receipts
|
Disbursements
|
Cash On Hand
|
Debt
|
|
Phil Hare (D)
|
$1,364,578
|
$1,759,078
|
$1,837
|
$11,487
|
|
Bobby Schilling (R)
|
$1,127,490
|
$1,117,731
|
$9,759
|
$54,039
|
|
Roger K. Davis (D)
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
|
Source: Federal Election Commission[17]
|
Polling
|
Poll Source
|
Dates Administered
|
Phil Hare (D)
|
Bobby Schilling (R)
|
Roger K. Davis (G)
|
Undecided
|
|
The Hill
|
October 12–14, 2010
|
38%
|
45%
|
-
|
14%
|
|
NRCC internal poll via Washington Post
|
Unavailable
|
41%
|
44%
|
Unavailable
|
Unavailable
|
|
Public Opinion Strategies
|
September 26–27, 2010
|
38%
|
37%
|
--
|
--
|
|
Tarrance Group via National Journal
|
September 23–25, 2010
|
43%
|
44%
|
--
|
--
|
|
We Ask America
|
September 8, 2010
|
38%
|
41%
|
--
|
17%
|
|
Magellan Strategies via NRO
|
July 12, 2010
|
32%
|
45%
|
--
|
23%
|
|
Public Opinion Strategies via NRO
|
Unavailable
|
33%
|
31%
|
7%
|
30%
|
|
We Ask America
|
February 18, 2010
|
39%
|
32%
|
4%
|
26%
|
General election results
[2]
|
General election unofficial results [32]
|
|
Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
Bobby Schilling
|
104,583
|
52.58%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Phil Hare
|
85,454
|
42.96%
|
|
|
Independent
|
Roger K. Davis
|
8,861
|
4.46%
|
|
Totals
|
198,898
|
100%
|
References
-
^ a b Hare and Schilling ready for battle
-
^ a b GENERAL ELECTION - 11/2/2010 17TH CONGRESS
-
^ Many state seats unopposed in primary
-
^ Cook Political Report Upgrades IL-17 to Toss Up
-
^ a b Illinois 17th District Profile (NYT)
-
^ CQ Politics IL-17
-
^ RealClearPolitics IL-17
-
^ 12 hottest House races to watch
-
^ Schilling Competitive with Hare for Primary Votes
-
^ Ibid.
-
^ Another Illinois House Race Worth Keeping an Eye On
-
^ a b GOP hungrily eyes Hare's seat
-
^ Schilling Campaign Opens Victory Center
-
^ SEIU dives into Illinois-17
-
^ House Third Quarter FEC Winners And Losers
-
^ Schilling campaign email 10/16/2010
-
^ a b title=2010 FEC Reports 2010 IL-17
-
^ Hare, Schilling clash in TV debate
-
^ 2010 Illinois Primary Election Page — Endorsements
-
^ RNC/Life PAC endorsements
-
^ Quincy Tea Party throws conditional support to Bobby Schilling in race for Congressional seat
-
^ Schilling to Hold Town Hall Meeting in Decatur March 10
-
^ Ibid.
-
^ Baker Endorsement PDF
-
^ Bachmann endorsement video
-
^ CatholicVote endorsement
-
^ Mitt Romney Endorses Bobby Schilling for Congress
-
^ Deere PAC chooses sides in tight congressional race
-
^ a b On the Campaign Trail with Ed Tibbetts - Morning notes 10/07/2010
-
^ Vote 2010: From Pizza Parlor to Power Player
-
^ SIERRA CLUB ENDORSES PHIL HARE FOR CONGRESS
-
^ "November 2, 2010 General and Special Elections Unofficial Results as of November 5, 2010". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
External links
-
Official campaign sites
-
Roger K. Davis for Congress
-
Phil Hare for Congress
-
Bobby Schilling for Congress
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