Before the primary, incumbent governor Henry Horner, a Democrat, opted not to seek a third term. In October, before the general election, his death in office made John Henry Stelle assume the governorship. However, Stelle had previously failed to win the Democratic nomination in the primary.
Republican Dwight H. Green won the election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Harry B. Hershey, former mayor of Taylorville
- Albert Lagerstedt, unsuccessful candidate for Democratic nomination in 1938 United States Senate election in Illinois
- Robert W. McKinlay
- James O. Monroe
- John H. Stelle, incumbent lieutenant governor of Illinois
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry B. Hershey | 815,604 | 59.73 | |
| Democratic | John H. Stelle | 484,454 | 35.48 | |
| Democratic | Robert W. McKinlay | 27,593 | 2.02 | |
| Democratic | James O. Monroe | 24,862 | 1.82 | |
| Democratic | Albert Lagerstedt | 12,925 | 0.95 | |
| Write-in | Others | 2 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 1,365,440 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Dwight H. Green, Republican nominee for mayor of Chicago in 1939
- Richard J. Lyons, former Illinois state representative
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dwight H. Green | 610,025 | 57.14 | |
| Republican | Richard J. Lyons | 457,643 | 42.86 | |
| Total votes | 1,067,668 | 100 | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dwight H. Green | 2,197,778 | 52.93 | |
| Democratic | Harry B. Hershey | 1,940,833 | 46.74 | |
| Socialist Labor | Arthur G. McDowell | 7,523 | 0.18 | |
| Prohibition | Clay Freeman Gaumer | 6,467 | 0.16 | |
| Total votes | 4,152,622 | 100 | ||
References
- ^ a b c "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, NOV. 5, 1940 JUDICIAL ELECTIONS, 1939–1940 PRIMARY ELECTION General Primary, APRIL 9, 1940" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2020.