1968 United States Senate election in Illinois


The 1968 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 5, 1968, to elect one of Illinois's members to the United States Senate. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator and Minority Leader Everett Dirksen won re-election to his fourth term.

Election information

The primaries and general election coincided with those for other federal and those for state elections.
Primaries were held on June 11.

Turnout

Turnout in the primary elections was 23.90%, with a total of 1,303,375 votes cast.
Turnout during the general election was 78.39%, with 4,449,757 votes cast.

Democratic primary

won the Democratic primary, running unopposed.

Republican primary

Incumbent U.S. Senator, and Senate Minority Leader, Everett M. Dirksen, won renomination over Roy C. Johnson.

General election

Results

Dirksen carried 99 of the state's 102 counties. Among the counties that Clark carried over Dirksen was the state's most populace county, Cook County, in which Clark won with 54.07% of the vote, to Dirksen's 45.52%. Since Cook County was home to 50.65% of the votes cast in the election, the final result of the election was close, despite Dirksen winning a landslide 60.70% of the vote to Clark's 38.92% in the other 101 counties of the state.
Additionally, in Cook County's principal city, Chicago, Clark won 63.90% of the vote to Dirksen's 35.58%