2020 Illinois Senate election
elections
The 2020 elections for the Illinois Senate took place on November 3, 2020, to elect senators from 22 of the state's 59 Senate districts to serve in the 102nd General Assembly, with seats apportioned among the states based on the 2010 United States census. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, senators are divided into three groups, each group having a two-year term at a different part of the decade between censuses, with the rest of the decade being taken up by two four-year terms. The Democratic Party has held a majority in the Senate since 2003. The inauguration of the 102nd General Assembly occurred on Wednesday January 13, 2021.
The elections for United States President, Illinois United States Senator, Illinois's 18 congressional districts, the Illinois Fair Tax and the Illinois House were held on this date.
The Republican Party needed to gain 11 seats to earn a majority in the Senate. The Democratic Party gained one seat towards their already-existing supermajority.
Overview
Predictions
Close races
Senate President election
On November 14, 2019, then-Senate President John Cullerton announced he would retire from the Illinois Senate. Then-Assistant Majority Leader Don Harmon and Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford were the two lawmakers being backed for the Senate President election. Harmon was elected as the 39th Senate President of the Illinois Senate on January 19, 2020.
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