Democrats hold control of the Illinois General Assembly as voters say 'Yes' to three key advisory questions

Control of the Illinois General Assembly has largely stayed the same this go around.

Battle for the Senate

First, the race for the Illinois State Senate featured a daunting challenge for Republicans trying to gain ground in the upper chamber. Democrats look like they will keep their 40-19 seat margin in the State Senate, but three Democratic-held seats remained uncalled as of 2 a.m. Wednesday.

With many of the contested seats featuring Democratic incumbents running for re-election, the incumbency factor played a huge role.

One of those contested seats with a Democratic incumbent is the 34th District, which covers much of Rockford, Loves Park, Cherry Valley, and Belvidere. That Democratic incumbent is Steve Stadelman, who has held this seat since winning it in 2012, defeated Belvidere Republican challenger Crystal Villarreal Soltow by a 62%-38% margin.

Battle for the House

Democrats have held control of both houses of the Illinois General Assembly for a generation going into this election. The state Senate has been in Democratic control since the 2002 election, while the House has been held by Democrats since the 1996 election.

This year, all 118 seats in the state House were up for grabs. Democrats held a 78-40 seat majority and even Republican leader Tony McCombie said her party has a long road ahead .

Democrats needed to hold 25 seats to keep its long-lasting hold on the chamber, which they managed to do fairly easily. Here are a look at the local contested races for the lower chamber.

Rockford, Loves Park, and Cherry Valley-based District 67 saw incumbent Democrat Maurice West II win a fourth term by a nearly 10-point margin. West defeated Republican challenger Glen Oland in a rematch of the 2022 campaign in which West won by 11%.

District 69 also includes parts of Rockford, but covers more of Boone and especially McHenry County. This race also featured a 2022 rematch and a very similar result this time: incumbent Republican Joe Sosnowski defeated Democrat Peter Janko by roughly 24%.

The Sycamore-based 70th District is currently held by Republican Jeff Keicher, who has served in the chamber since he was appointed to the office in 2018. He faced a challenge for the first time since 2020 in Democrat Randi Olson, a former business owner and educator who currently serves as a Trustee on the Cortland Town Board, but he easily defeated Olson by a 60%-40% margin.

The 74th District sprawls across much of northern Illinois, including Sterling, Dixon, and Rochelle. Republican Bradley Fritts won the seat unopposed two years ago, becoming first General Assembly member born in the 2000s, and defeated Democrat David Simpson, a woodworker and Shabbona Village Trustee, for a second term in 2024 by a nearly two-to-one margin.

District 75 covers the Sandwich and Somonauk areas of DeKalb County. Incumbent Republican Jed Davis won a second term in a 2022 rematch with Democrat Heidi Henry, a small business owner, by a nearly two-to-one margin.

There is one more local district that is garnering a lot more attention: District 76.

The district covers the city of DeKalb, then travels south along Rt. 23 into LaSalle County, including Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, and the scenic Starved Rock State Park. Democrat Lance Yednock held this seat previously, but is retiring at the end of his current term.

His chief of staff, Democrat Amy "Murri" Briel, is running to succeed her boss in the state House, but she faces a tough challenge from Republican Liz Bishop of Peru. As of 2 a.m. Wednesday, it remains a two-point race with nearly 90% of the vote in.

It is one of the five seats that Tony McCombie says are "very important" in their election campaign. Other seats Republicans were fighting for were Districts 45 (open seat in Chicago's suburbs, Democratic HOLD), 91 (Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, Too Close to Call as of 2 a.m.), 97 (Plainfield, Too Close to Call as of 2 a.m.), and 112 (St. Louis suburbs, Democratic HOLD).

Democrats are positioning themselves on offense as well, looking to take seats away from Republicans and increase their already substantial majority. Key targets include the 114th District in the suburbs of St. Louis, which saw a sizable Republican lead with 60% of the vote counted as of 2 a.m., as well as suburban Chicago Districts 47 (Wheaton, Too Close to Call), 52 (Barrington and Wauconda, Too Close to Call), and 63 (Woodstock and McHenry, Republican HOLD).

Advisory Questions on the Ballot

The next General Assembly will have a blueprint for legislation thanks to referenda voters approved in this election. These votes were on hot-button issues that have been making national headlines throughout this election campaign.

Importantly, the three "advisory" questions on Illinois ballots are non-binding, meaning there will not be any changes to state law as a direct result of these votes. Lawmakers could take action, however, with enough support on any of these issues.

One of the questions on the ballot gauged interest on a change to the state's tax code. Voters approved a theoretical change to the state Constitution to add a 3% income tax on those who earn more than $1 million, but it was relatively close at a 60%-40% margin.

As listed on the ballot, the tax would be used to fund property tax relief across the state. Our partners at Capitol News Illinois reported that the proposed increase would bring an additional $4.5 billion per year, according to estimates from the Illinois Department of Revenue.

If lawmakers were to pursue the new tax, the amendment to the Illinois Constitution would require another referendum. That binding referendum would need to be approved by 60% of those voting on it or by a majority of all voters in that election.

The other two questions approved by Illinois voters by much larger margins pertain to the issues of defending democracy and reproductive rights.

One of the questions asked voters if they would support placing civil penalties on election candidates that interfere, or attempt to interfere, with the official duties of election workers. This question received an overwhelming "Yes" vote with nearly 90% of the vote.

The other gauged voters' interest in whether medically appropriate assisted reproductive health treatments, such as IVF, should be covered by health insurance plans in Illinois that already cover pregnancy benefits. This question was approved by a nearly three-to-one margin.

State lawmakers would take a "yes" vote as support for individual health plans to fully cover such treatments without copay. It would also set no bar on the number of treatments that would be fully covered.