2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

The 2006 congressional elections in Illinois were held November 7, 2006, to determine who would represent the State of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives.

Illinois had nineteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected would serve in the 110th Congress from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2009.

Overview 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in IllinoisPartyVotesPercentageSeats+/– Democratic 1,986,431 57.53% 10 — Republican 1,442,526 41.78% 9 — Independents 23,624 0.68% 0 — Totals 3,452,581 100.00% 19 —

District 1

This district, one of the most heavily Democratic in Illinois and the country, has been represented by Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush since his initial election in 1992. This district is known for having the largest percentage of African-Americans of all congressional districts nationwide; true to the nature of this district, Rush is an African-American. Facing Republican nominee Jason Tabour, Rush easily achieved an eighth term in Congress.

Predictions SourceRankingAs of The Cook Political Report November 6, 2006 Rothenberg November 6, 2006 Sabato's Crystal Ball November 6, 2006 Real Clear Politics November 7, 2006 CQ Politics November 7, 2006

District 2

Initially elected in a special election in 1995 to replace disgraced Congressman Mel Reynolds, Jesse Jackson Jr. has been subsequently re-elected by wide margins in this very liberal district, based in the southeastern portion of Chicago and some of the southern Chicagoan suburbs. This election proved to be no different, and Jackson stomped Republican opponent Robert Belin and Libertarian opponent Anthony Williams to win another term.

District 3

In this solidly liberal district, based in the southwestern territory of Chicago and western suburbs of Chicago, has a record of sending socially conservative Democrats to Congress—incumbent Democratic Congressman Dan Lipinski has proved no different. Following the retirement of his father, long-serving Congressman Bill Lipinski, Dan Lipinski was elected to Congress in 2004 and faced his first re-election campaign in 2006. Lipinski easily defeated Republican challenger Raymond Wardingley to win a second term.

District 4

This strangely gerrymandered district connects a northern section that is primarily composed of Puerto Ricans and a southern section that is made up of Mexican-Americans to achieve a Hispanic-American majority district. Staunchly in the Democratic column, this district has continually sent incumbent Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez back to Congress by overwhelming margins. Seeking his eighth term, Gutierrez ultimately overwhelmed Republican challenger Ann Melichar in a landslide.

District 5

This district, currently located in the North Side of Chicago and the western Chicagoan suburbs, has been represented by, among others, Stephen A. Douglas and Rod Blagojevich before current Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel assumed office in 2002. Emanuel faced no real challenge from Republican opponent Kevin White due to the district's strong tendency towards the Democratic Party and was re-elected to a third term.

District 6

Long-serving incumbent Republican Congressman Henry Hyde declined to seek a seventeenth term in this moderate district based in the Chicago suburbs in DuPage County and Cook County, creating an open seat. State Senator Peter Roskam emerged as the Republican nominee while disabled Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth became the Democratic nominee. In a close election marked by special appearances from well-known politicians like John McCain, George W. Bush, and Dennis Hastert, Roskam ultimately edged out Duckworth by a thin margin, 51.3 to 48.7 percent, keeping district in Republican control. This would be one of the closest races in the 2006 house elections.

The party primaries for the election were held on March 21, 2006. The Republican nominee was Peter Roskam, an Illinois State Senator from the 48th district who lives in Wheaton, Illinois. Roskam ran unopposed in the primary.

The Democratic primary winner was Tammy Duckworth, a decorated Iraq War veteran. On March 21, 2006, Duckworth won the Democratic primary with 44 percent of the vote against 2004 Democratic nominee Christine Cegelis, who received 40 percent, and Wheaton College professor Lindy Scott, who received 16 percent.Congressional Quarterly. Illinois U.S. House democratic primary results . March 21, 2006. Duckworth is a resident of Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Although part of Hoffman Estates is within the sixth district, Duckworth lives three miles outside of the district.No shared opinions By Eric Krol, Daily Herald Political Writer. September 23, 2006. She lives in a disabled-accessible house which was refitted for her access by friends. The U.S. Constitution requires only that a member, when elected, be "an inhabitant of the state in which he shall be chosen." Illinois does not have a district residency requirement.

Duckworth had never held office, and the 2006 race was her first campaign.

In May 2006, the Teamsters labor union endorsement of Roskam was announced by John Coli, President of Joint Council 25. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 also endorsed Roskam for the congressional seat. The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization also endorsed Roskam over Duckworth.

Tammy Duckworth was endorsed by the Daily Herald,"For the open 6th District House seat: Duckworth" Posted Sunday, October 15, 2006 Daily Herald Chicago Tribune,"For Congress: Duckworth" October 18, 2006 Chicago Tribune the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Pioneer Press."Duckworth for Congress" October 26, 2006 Evanston Review

The candidates debated on WTTW/Channel 11 (October 23), WBEZ radio (October 19), WBBM radio (September 24), and at the College of DuPage (October 12).wbez.com Election

In August 2006, the Roskam campaign used Republican Party stances for an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) survey. The answers related to Medicare, Social Security, insurance plans and retirement. Democratic opponents characterized it as plagiarism.

On September 10, 2006, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported: "Roskam is trying to use immigration as an issue against his Democratic rival, Tammy Duckworth, in their race for the House seat being vacated by Republican Henry Hyde."

Controversy erupted on September 21, 2006, when the Duckworth campaign accused Roskam of using the term "cut-and-run" in reference to Duckworth's Iraq strategy. Roskam's campaign manager denied that they had made such a statement saying Roskam was "misquoted" and "misrepresented".

A fundraiser for Roskam and David McSweeney was held on October 12, 2006, at the Chicago Hilton. President George W. Bush and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert headlined the event.

On October 24, actor and Parkinson's disease sufferer Michael J. Fox appeared at a fundraiser for Tammy Duckworth at Arrowhead Golf Course in Wheaton, supporting Duckworth's stance on embryonic stem cell research."Actor Michael J. Fox To Appear At Duckworth Rally", Tuesday, 24 October 2006 10:13AM wbbm780.com Roskam held a simultaneous press conference featuring a cancer survivor who was treated with his own cells.

On October 30, Roskam attended a fundraiser with Senator John McCain. McCain had cosponsored the immigration bill that Roskam criticized as "amnesty". Roskam placed television ads that accused Duckworth of wanting to raise Social Security payroll taxes. According to the Daily Herald, the AARP mailed out thousands of letters to the Sixth District denouncing the ad as misleading.Social "Security is late issue in House races" By Eric Krol. Daily Herald. November 02, 2006

In the week before the election, according to the Elk Grove Times, the National Republican Congressional Committee paid a Richmond, Virginia contractor to make automated phone calls (robocalls) to voters, criticising Tammy Duckworth's positions on issues, that began with "Hi. I'm calling with information about Tammy Duckworth..." and did not identify its source until late in the call. The Duckworth campaign said that the message's failure to identify its source made many people believe the message came from the Duckworth campaign, hurting its ability to speak to voters. The Duckworth campaign characterized the calls as harassment.

The Arlington Heights Daily Herald reported that the NRCC spent $9,000 on robocalls to help Peter Roskam in a single week. This translates into approximately 180,000 calls."They have your number" By Stacy St. Clair Sunday, November 5, 2006. Daily Herald. The NRCC released a statement in response claiming the messages were in compliance with the law and compared them to similar ones made by DNC Counsel Joe Sandler.McGahn, Donald F. General Counsel, NRCC. NRCC Phone call press release. November 6, 2006. The Federal Trade Commission Telemarketing Sales Rule excludes political calls, since they are not included in the definition of telemarketing.Federal Trade Commission. FTC Consumer Alert . No FCC or FTC fines have been issued for robocalls relating to the 6th district 2006 congressional campaign in Illinois.

Roskam trailed Duckworth in fundraising. Roskam raised $3.44 million vs. Duckworth's $4.52 million, but started the fall campaign with more cash on hand, due in part to not having a primary challenger. Roskam was more dependent on contributions from PACs: 56 percent of Roskam's donations and 82 percent of Duckworth's donations came from individuals. 87 percent of Roskam's contributions and 51 percent of Duckworth's contributions came from the state of Illinois. Top zipcodes of contributors for Roskam were Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and Hinsdale. Duckworth's top zip codes were Chicago, Winnetka and New York City.

According to FEC filings, both candidates received donations from various political action committees.FEC Disclosure Report Search Results FEC Disclosure Report Search Results As of June 30, 2006, Roskam received more contributions from political committees formed by sitting legislators than any other non-incumbent Congressional candidate in the nation. A Roskam campaign spokesman credited House Speaker Dennis Hastert for those contributions. "Duckworth raises $844,000 in 2nd quarter" Patrick Corcoran July 20, 2006 Pioneer Press

District 7

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Danny K. Davis opted to run for a sixth term in the House of Representatives and did not face a serious challenge in this solidly liberal district based in southern and western Chicago and the western Chicagoan suburbs. Davis swamped Republican challenger Charles Hutchinson with well over eighty percent of the vote, securing another term in this African-American majority district.

Predictions

2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

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