1978 Illinois State Comptroller election

none 1978 Illinois State Comptroller election Illinois presidential no 1976 Illinois Comptroller election 1976 1982 Illinois Comptroller election 1982 November 7, 1978 x150px Roland Burris circa 1979 (3x4).jpg Roland Burris Democratic Party (United States) 1,542,983 51.67% 3x4.svg John W. Castle Republican Party (United States) 1,389,049 46.52% 1978 Illinois Comptroller general election results map by county.svg County resultsBurris: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% Castle: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% State Comptroller Michael Bakalis Democratic Party (United States) Roland Burris Democratic Party (United States) 51.40% Incumbent Comptroller Michael Bakalis, a Democrat, did not seek a second term, instead opting to run for governor. Democrat Roland Burris was elected to succeed him. In winning the election, Burris became the first American American to be elected to statewide office in Illinois.Kimmel Leigh Roland Burris: The First African-American National Bank Examiner https://www.occ.treas.gov/about/who-we-are/history/1936-1966/1936-1966-roland-burris.html www.occ.treas.gov Office of the Comptroller of Currency 27 March 2020 14 March 2019 Democratic primary With more than 64% of the vote, Roland Burris defeated State Representative Richard Luft in the Democratic primary.Our Campaigns - IL Comptroller Race - Nov 07, 1978 https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=196411 Our Campaigns 29 April 2025 Burris was a Chicago attorney that had formerly served as director of the Department of General Services under Governor Dan Walker. Luft had been the early favorite for the party to slate, but at the last minute was beaten out by Burris when the party finally slated candidates. It was reported that black Chicago Democrats had pressured the party to slate a black candidate for statewide office. During the campaign, Burris and Luft argued over Burris' record as director of the Department of General Services. Comptroller Democratic primary Democratic Party (United States) Roland W. Burris 418,735 64.03 Democratic Party (United States) Richard N. Luft 235,192 35.97 653,927 100 Republican primary With more than 52% of the vote, John W. Castle, director of the Department of Local Government Affairs, defeated W. Robert Blair, former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, in the Republican primary. Governor James R. Thompson, who had convinced Castle to abandon his declared plans to run for treasurer and instead run for comptroller, publicly endorsed Castle. Blair criticized Castle for this endorsement, alleging that he would not be able to operate the comptroller's office independently of the governor, while Castle denied that his decisions would be influenced by his political ties to Thompson. Comptroller Republican primary Republican Party (United States) John W. Castle 238,086 52.02 Republican Party (United States) W. Robert Blair 219,570 47.98 Write-in Others 2 0.00 457,656 100 General election Comptroller election Democratic Party (United States) Roland W. Burris 1,542,983 51.67 Republican Party (United States) John W. Castle 1,389,049 46.52 Libertarian Party (United States) Mark B. Wallace 21,645 0.72 Socialist Workers Party (United States) John Eriksen 17,116 0.57 U.S. Labor Party Carol Leebove 15,181 0.51 Write-in Others 14 0.00 2,985,988 100 References Category:Illinois State Comptroller elections Category:1978 Illinois elections