1956 United States Senate election in Illinois

Summary

The 1956 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 6, 1956[1] to elect one of Illinois's members to the United States Senate. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen won reelection to a second term.

1956 United States Senate election in Illinois

← 1950 November 6, 1956 1962 →
Turnout81.74%
 
Nominee Everett M. Dirksen Richard Stengel
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 2,307,552 1,949,883
Percentage 54.11% 45.72%

County results
Dirksen:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%
Stengel:      50–60%

Senator before election

Everett M. Dirksen
Republican

Elected Senator

Everett M. Dirksen
Republican

Election information edit

The primaries and general election coincided with those for federal offices (President and House) and state elections.

Primaries were held on April 10.[1]

Turnout edit

Turnout in the primary elections was 26.26%, with a total of 1,307,357 votes cast.[1][2]

Turnout during the general election was 81.74%, with 4,264,830 votes cast.[1][3]

Democratic primary edit

Democratic primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Richard Stengel 621,005 99.99
Write-in Others 50 0.01
Total votes 621,055 100

Republican primary edit

Republican primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Everett McKinley Dirksen (incumbent) 686,268 100
Write-in Others 34 0.01
Total votes 686,302 100

General election edit

Dirksen carried 88 of the state's 102 counties.[1] Among the 88 counties that Dirksen won was the state's most populous county, Cook County, in which Dirksen won with 51.13% to Stengel's 48.63%.[1] Despite losing in Cook County, Stengel performed better in the county than he did in the cumulative vote of the remaining 101 counties[1] In the cumulative vote of the state's other 101 counties, Dirksen won 57.32% to Stengel's 42.58%.[1] 51.97% of the votes cast in the election were from Cook County.[1]

While he lost the overall vote in Cook County as a whole, in Cook County's principal city, Chicago (where 37.79% of all votes cast in the election were from), Stengel won 54.33% of the vote to Dirksen's 45.37%[1]

General election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Everett McKinley Dirksen (incumbent) 2,307,552 54.11
Democratic Richard Stengel 1,949,883 45.72
Socialist Labor Louis Fisher 7,587 0.18
Write-in Others 8 0.00
Total votes 4,264,830 100

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "OFFICIAL VOTE of the STATE OF ILLINOIS Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION, NOVEMBER 6, 1956 JUDICIAL ELECTION, 1955, 1956 • PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, APRIL 10 1958" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved July 4, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the PRIMARY ELECTION MARCH 16, 1982" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved July 4, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 2, 1982" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved July 4, 2020.[permanent dead link]