Incumbent [[Governor of Illinois|Governor]] [[William Stratton]], a Republican seeking a third term, lost reelection to Democrat [[Otto Kerner Jr.]]
Incumbent [[Governor of Illinois|Governor]] [[William Stratton]], a Republican seeking a third term, lost reelection to Democrat [[Otto Kerner Jr.]]
Heading into this election, Stratton was seen as vulnerable to being unseated if the Democrats ran a strong candidate, as he had only narrowly won reelection in 1956 (despite a strong overall performance by the Republican party in the state that year), and since the Democratic Party had nationally had a strong performance in the [[1958 United States elections|1958 elections]].<ref name=pharaoh>{{cite book |last1=Cohen |first1=Adam |last2=Taylor |first2=Elizabeth |title=American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - His Battle for Chicago and the Nation |date=2001 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=978-0-7595-2427-9 |pages=146–147 |url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=nGem2g467GAC |language=en}}</ref>
Heading into this election, Stratton was seen as vulnerable to being unseated if the Democrats ran a strong candidate, as he had only narrowly won reelection in 1956 (despite a strong overall performance by the Republican party in the state that year), and since the Democratic Party had nationally had a strong performance in the [[1958 United States elections|1958 elections]].<ref name=pharaoh>{{cite book |last1=Cohen |first1=Adam |last2=Taylor |first2=Elizabeth |title=American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - His Battle for Chicago and the Nation |date=2001 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=978-0-7595-2427-9 |pages=146–148 |url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=nGem2g467GAC |language=en}}</ref>
Heading into this election, Stratton was seen as vulnerable to being unseated if the Democrats ran a strong candidate, as he had only narrowly won reelection in 1956 (despite a strong overall performance by the Republican party in the state that year), and since the Democratic Party had nationally had a strong performance in the 1958 elections.[4]
Originally, before his death, Grenville Beardsley (himself a Republican that had been appointed in 1959 after Latham Castle resigned to assume a judgeship) had been seeking reelection, having won the Republican primary.
Democratic incumbent Kenney E. Williamson, first appointed in 1940, won reelection to a third full (fourth overall) term.[5] Democratic incumbent Frances Best Watkins won reelection to a third term.[5] They were joined in winning election by fellow Democrat Irving Dillard.[3][5]
Incumbent Democrat George Herrick was not nominated for reelection.[5]
Trustees of the University of Illinois election[3][5]
On April 12, a special election was held to fill a vacancy on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.[2]
Ballot measures
Two ballot measures, both of them bond issues, were put before Illinois voters in 1960.
In order for bond issues to pass, the number of affirmative voters each measure was required to receive was one equal to 50% of the number of votes cast for members of the Illinois General Assembly in the 1960 general election.[3] Since 4,525,191 votes were cast for the General Assembly in 1960, the vote count needed to be reached was at least 2,262,596 affirmative votes.[3] The vote also needed a majority of votes cast on each measure to be affirmative.
Bond Issue for Education
Voters approved the Bond Issue for Education, which would issue bonds to support improvements in education.[6]