2010 Cook County, Illinois, elections
The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 2, 2010.
Primaries were held February 2, 2010.
Elections were held for Assessor, Clerk, Sheriff, Treasurer, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, all 17 seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Cook County Board of Review district 1, three seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Election information
2010 was a midterm election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal and those for state elections.Voter turnout
Voter turnout in Cook County during the primaries was 26.41%, with 761,626 ballots cast. The city of Chicago saw 27.282% turnout and suburban Cook County saw 25.54% turnout.The general election saw 52.68% turnout, with 1,424,959 ballots cast. The city of Chicago saw 52.88% turnout and suburban Cook County saw 52.48% turnout.
Assessor
In the 2010 Cook County Assessor election, incumbent Assessor James Houlihan, a Democrat, first appointed in 1997 who was thrice reelected, did not seek reelection to what would have been a fourth full term. Joseph Berrios was elected to succeed him.Primaries
Democratic
;Candidates- Joseph Berrios, member of the Cook County Board of Review
- Raymond A. Figueroa, former judge of the Cook County Circuit Court and former Chicago alderman
- Robert Shaw, former member of the Cook County Board of Review and former Chicago alderman
;Endorsements
;Results
Republican
Evanston Township assessor Sharon Strobeck-Eckersall won the Republican primary.Clerk
In the 2010 Cook County Clerk election, incumbent fifth-term Clerk David Orr, a Democrat, was reelected.Primaries
Green
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Green primary.Sheriff
In the 2010 Cook County Sheriff election, incumbent first-term Sheriff Tom Dart, a Democrat, was reelected.Treasurer
In the 2010 Cook County Treasurer election, incumbent third-term Treasurer Maria Pappas, a Democrat, was reelected.Primaries
Green
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Green primary.President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
In the 2010 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election, incumbent President Todd Stroger, a Democrat appointed in 2006 and elected outright to a full term later that year, lost reelection, being unseated in the Democratic primary by Toni Preckwinkle, who went on to win the general election.Her victory in this election would make Preckwinkle the first woman to be popularly elected to the office of president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and the second woman overall to hold the position after Bobbie L. Steele.
Primaries
Democratic
;Candidates- Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court
- Terrence J. O'Brien, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago President
- Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago alderman
- Todd Stroger, incumbent President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
- Danny K. Davis, U.S. congressman, former member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, former member of the Chicago City Council
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Dorothy Brown | Forrest Claypool | Terrence J. O'Brien | Toni Preckwinkle | Todd Stroger | Other | Undecided |
| WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune | January 16–20, 2010 | 503 | ± 4.4% | 24% | – | 16% | 36% | 11% | – | 12% |
| WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune | December 2–8, 2009 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 29% | – | 11% | 20% | 14% | 2% | 11% |
| Cooper & Secrest Associates | November 11–17, 2009 | 605 | ± 4.0% | 29% | — | 15% | 16% | 13% | — | 27% |
| Fako & Associates for Supporters of Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown | April 21–22, 2009 | 295 | ± 5.70% | 21% | 33% | — | 10% | 7% | — | |
| Bennett, Petts, & Normington for SEIU | March 23—25 2009 | ± 4.3 | – | 28% | – | 18% | 23% | – | 36% |
;Results
Republican
;Candidates- John Garrido III, Chicago Police Department officer
- Roger A. Keats, former Illinois State Senator and former Illinois State Representative
Green
;Candidates- Thomas Tresser, activist
Cook County Board of Commissioners
The 2010 Cook County Board of Commissioners election saw all seventeen seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners up for election to four-year terms.Cook County Board of Review
In the 2010 Cook County Board of Review election, one seat, Democratic-held, out of its three seats was up for election.The Cook County Board of Review has its three seats rotate the length of terms. In a staggered fashion, the seats rotate between two consecutive four-year terms and a two-year term.
1st district
Incumbent first-term member Brendan Houlihan, a Democrat who had been elected in 2006, lost reelection to Republican Dan Patlak. This election was to a two-year term.Primaries
Democratic
Republican
Green
No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Green primary.Water Reclamation District Board
In the 2010 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, three of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election in an at-large race. Since three six-year seats were up for election, voters could vote for up to three candidates and the top-three finishers would win.Two of the incumbents for the three seats were seeking reelection, Democrats Barbara McGowan and Mariyana Spyropoulos. Each won reelection, joined by fellow Democrat Michael A. Alvarez in winning election.
Judicial elections
8 judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County were up for partisan elections due to vacancies. Other judgeships had retention elections.13 subcircuit courts judgeships were also up for partisan elections due to vacancies. Other judgeships had retention elections.