Tammy Duckworth
DemocratIL · Senator
In the 2022 Senate race for IL Senate seat, Tammy Duckworth (D) won with 56.8% of the vote, defeating Kathy Salvi (R) who received 41.5%. 3 additional candidates split the remaining vote. Tammy Duckworth's 15.3-point advantage over the runner-up confirmed a comfortable win.
This was an open-seat race with no incumbent running — Richard J. Durbin (D) previously held the seat. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. As a Democrat, Tammy Duckworth won despite the historical midterm penalty against the president's party (Democrat Biden was in office).
In the 2016 Senate race for IL Senate seat, Tammy Duckworth (D) won with 54.9% of the vote, defeating Mark Kirk (R) who received 39.8%. 2 additional candidates split the remaining vote. Tammy Duckworth's 15.1-point advantage over the runner-up confirmed a comfortable win.
This was an open-seat race with no incumbent running — Richard J. Durbin (D) previously held the seat. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. The 2016 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.
In the 2014 House race for IL-08, Tammy Duckworth (D) defeated Larry Kaifesh (R) 55.7% to 44.3%. Tammy Duckworth received 84,178 votes compared to 66,878 for Larry Kaifesh, a comfortable 11.5-point margin indicating a moderately safe district.
As the incumbent, Tammy Duckworth benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. As a Democrat, Tammy Duckworth won despite the historical midterm penalty against the president's party (Democrat Obama was in office).
In the 2012 House race for IL-08, Tammy Duckworth (D) defeated Joe Walsh (R) 54.7% to 45.3%. Tammy Duckworth received 123,206 votes compared to 101,860 for Joe Walsh, a 9.5-point margin that indicates a genuinely contested race.
This was an open-seat race. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. The 2012 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.