View source for 1970 United States Senate special election in Illinois

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name      = 1970 United States Senate special election in Illinois
| country            = Illinois
| type               = presidential
| ongoing            = no
| previous_election  = 1968 United States Senate election in Illinois
| previous_year      = 1968
| next_election      = 1974 United States Senate election in Illinois
| next_year          = 1974
| election_date      = November 3, 1970
| image_size         = x150px
| image1             = Treasurer Adlai Stevenson (3x4).jpg
| nominee1           = '''[[Adlai Stevenson III]]'''
| party1             = Democratic Party (United States)
| popular_vote1      = '''2,065,054'''
| percentage1        = '''57.37%'''
| image2             = Ralph Tyler Smith (3x4).jpg
| nominee2           = [[Ralph Tyler Smith]]
| party2             = Republican Party (United States)
| popular_vote2      = 1,519,718
| percentage2        = 42.22%
| map_image          = 1970 United States Senate special election in Illinois results map by county.svg
| map_size = 300x300px
| map_caption        = County results<br/>'''Stevenson:''' {{legend0|#A5B0FF|40–50%}} {{legend0|#7996e2|50–60%}} {{legend0|#6674de|60–70%}}<br/>
'''Smith:''' {{legend0|#FFB2B2|40–50%}} {{legend0|#e27f7f|50–60%}} {{legend0|#d75d5d|60–70%}}
| title              = U.S. senator
| before_election    = [[Ralph Tyler Smith]]
| before_party       = Republican Party (US)
| after_election     = [[Adlai Stevenson III]]
| after_party        = Democratic Party (US)
| turnout            = 67.43%
}}
{{Elections in Illinois}}
The '''1970 United States Senate special election in Illinois''' was held on November 3, 1970,<ref name="results">{{cite web |title=OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 3, 1970 JUDICIAL • MEMBERS OF CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION PRIMARY AND GENERAL • PROPOSED 1970 CONSTITUTION • SPECIAL ELECTIONS • PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, MARCH, 17, 1970 |url=https://www.elections.il.gov/DocDisplay.aspx?doc=Downloads/ElectionOperations/VoteTotals/Archived/1970/1970%20GE%20and%20PE.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122104829/https://www.elections.il.gov/DocDisplay.aspx?doc=Downloads/ElectionOperations/VoteTotals/Archived/1970/1970%20GE%20and%20PE.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |publisher=Illinois State Board of Elections |access-date=28 June 2020 }}</ref> to fill the remainder of the term of Republican [[Everett Dirksen]], who had [[Death in office|died in office]]. Republican [[Ralph Tyler Smith]] had been appointed to fill the seat after Dirksen's death, and he lost the special election to Democrat [[Adlai Stevenson III]]. This election was the third consecutive time in which a United States Senate election in Illinois took place two years after a previous United States Senate election in Illinois after [[1966 United States Senate election in Illinois|1966]] and [[1968 United States Senate election in Illinois|1968]].
==Background==
The primaries and general election coincided with those for [[1970 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois|House]] and [[1970 Illinois elections#State elections|state elections]].
Primaries were held on March 17.<ref name="results"/><ref name="bluebookprimary"/> Turnout in the primary elections was 26.28%, with a total of 1,381,147 votes cast.<ref name="results"/> Turnout during the general election was 67.43%, with 3,599,272 votes cast.<ref name="results"/>
==Republican primary==
=== Candidates ===
* [[Lawrence Joseph Sarsfield Daly|Lar "America First" Daly]], perennial candidate
* William H. Rentschler, chair of the [[Richard Nixon 1968 presidential campaign]] in Illinois
* [[Ralph Tyler Smith]], interim Senator since 1969 and former [[List of speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives|Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives]]
=== Campaign ===
Rentschler accused Smith of acquiring the Senate seat through a corrupt deal with Governor [[Richard B. Ogilvie|Richard Ogilvie]]. Smith himself denied the charge, pointing out that Ogilvie declined to support him in the primary.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Stegeman |first=Richard L. |last2=Cox |first2=Bill |date=9 Mar 1970 |title=Stevenson, Rentschler, Smith: Senate Hopefuls Sound Off |pages=3 |work=[[The Edwardsville Intelligencer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/26432600/ |access-date=18 May 2023}}</ref>
Rentschler also criticized Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] and Senator [[Charles H. Percy|Charles Percy]] for endorsing Smith, arguing that party leaders should stay out of the primary race.<ref name=":0" /> Rentschler had previously worked on campaigns for Percy and Agnew in 1964 and 1968, respectively.<ref>{{cite news|title=Percy Rapped by Rentschler for Giving Support to Smith|date=25 Jan 1970|page=20|newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/377337129/|access-date=18 May 2023}}</ref>
=== Results ===
{{Election box begin no change| title=Republican primary<ref name="results"/><ref name="bluebookprimary"/>
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party      = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate  = [[Ralph Tyler Smith]] (incumbent)
|votes      = 414,489
|percentage = 58.84
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party      = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate  = William H. Rentschler
|votes      = 271,648
|percentage = 38.57
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party      = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate  = [[Lawrence Joseph Sarsfield Daly|Lar "America First" Daly]]
|votes      = 18,244
|percentage = 2.59
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party      = Write-in
|candidate  = Others
|votes      = 16
|percentage = 0.00
}}
{{Election box total no change |
|votes      = 704,397
|percentage = 100
}}
{{Election box end}}
==Democratic primary==
=== Candidates ===
* [[Adlai Stevenson III]], [[Illinois Treasurer]] and son of [[Adlai Stevenson II]]
{{Election box begin no change| title=Democratic primary<ref name="results"/><ref name="bluebookprimary">{{cite book |title=Illinois Blue Book 1969-1970 |publisher=Illinois Secretary of State |page=854 |url=http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/ref/collection/bb/id/33365 |access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref>
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party      = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate  = [[Adlai Stevenson III|Adlai E. Stevenson, III]]
|votes      = 676,689
|percentage = 99.99
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party      = Write-in
|candidate  = Others
|votes      = 61
|percentage = 0.01
}}
{{Election box total no change |
|votes      = 676,750
|percentage = 100
}}
{{Election box end}}
==General election==
{{Election box begin no change | title=General election<ref name="results"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1970election.pdf|title=Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1970|publisher=Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|access-date=March 13, 2015|p=7}}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party      = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate  = [[Adlai Stevenson III]]
|votes      = 2,065,054
| percentage = 57.37%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party      = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate  = [[Ralph Tyler Smith]] (incumbent)
|votes      = 1,519,718
| percentage = 42.22%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party      = Socialist Workers Party (United States)
|candidate  = Lynn Henderson
|votes      = 8,859
| percentage = 0.25%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party      = Socialist Labor Party of America
|candidate  = [[Louis Fisher]]
|votes      = 5,564
| percentage = 0.15%
}}
{{Election box candidate no change
|party      = None
|candidate  = Scattering
|votes      = 77
| percentage = 0.00%
}}
{{Election box majority no change
|votes      = 545,336
| percentage = 15.15%
|change     =
}}
{{Election box turnout no change
|votes      = 3,599,272
| percentage =
|change     =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link no change
| winner     = Democratic Party (United States)
| loser      = Republican Party (United States)
| swing      =
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{clear}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Illinois elections}}
{{United States elections, 1970}}
[[Category:United States Senate elections in Illinois|1970]]
[[Category:1970 United States Senate elections|Illinois]]
[[Category:1970 Illinois elections|United States Senate]]
[[Category:Special elections to the 91st United States Congress|Illinois 1970]]
[[Category:United States Senate special elections|Illinois 1970]]
[[Category:Illinois special elections|United States Senate 1970]]