2010 Cook County, Illinois, elections

2010 was a midterm election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal (House and Senate) and those for state elections.

2010 Cook County Assessor election

November 2, 2010
Turnout	49.88%[5][6]
Candidate Joseph Berrios Forrest Claypool Sharon Strobeck-Eckersall Party Democratic Independent Republican Popular vote 648,053 427,842 237,955 Percentage 48.03% 31.71% 17.64%
Assessor before election James Houlihan Democratic Elected Assessor Joseph Berrios Democratic

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.[7] Joseph Berrios was elected to succeed him.

2010 Cook County Clerk election

November 2, 2010
Turnout	49.79%[5][6]
Candidate David Orr Angel Garcia Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,047,462 299,449 Percentage 77.77% 22.23%
Clerk before election David Orr Democratic Elected Clerk David Orr Democratic

In the 2010 Cook County Clerk election, incumbent fifth-term Clerk David Orr, a Democrat, was reelected.

2010 Cook County Sheriff election

November 2, 2010
Turnout	49.85%[5][6]
Candidate Tom Dart Frederick Collins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,041,696 257,682 Percentage 77.26% 19.11%
Sheriff before election Tom Dart Democratic Elected Sheriff Tom Dart Democratic

In the 2010 Cook County Sheriff election, incumbent first-term Sheriff Tom Dart, a Democrat, was reelected.

In the 2010 Cook County Treasurer election, incumbent third-term Treasurer Maria Pappas, a Democrat, was reelected.

2010 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election

November 2, 2010
Turnout	49.92%[5][6]
Candidate Toni Preckwinkle Roger A. Keats Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 939,056 357,070 Percentage 69.54% 26.44
President before election Todd Stroger Democratic Elected President Toni Preckwinkle Democratic

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.[18]

Democratic

Candidates

• Dorothy A. Brown, Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court
• Terrence J. O'Brien, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago President[19]
• Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago alderman
• Todd Stroger, incumbent President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners

Polls

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Dorothy A. Brown	Forrest Claypool	Terrence J. O'Brien	Toni Preckwinkle	Todd Stroger	Other	Undecided
WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune[20]	January 16–20, 2010	503	± 4.4%	24%	–	16%	36%	11%	–	12%
WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune[21][22]	December 2–8, 2009	502	± 4.4%	29%	–	11%	20%	14%	2%	11%
Cooper & Secrest Associates[23]	November 11–17, 2009	605	± 4.0%	29%	—	15%	16%	13%	—	27%
Fako & Associates for Supporters of Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown[24]	April 21–22, 2009	295	± 5.70%	21%	33%	—	10%	7%	—
Bennett, Petts, & Normington for SEIU[25][26][27]	March 23—25 2009		± 4.3	–	28%	–	18%	23%	–	36%

Toni Preckwinkle celebrating her Democratic primary victory

Results

President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Toni Preckwinkle	281,905	48.99
	Democratic	Terrence J. O'Brien	131,896	22.92
	Democratic	Dorothy A. Brown	83,150	14.45
	Democratic	Todd H. Stroger (incumbent)	78,532	13.65
Total votes			575,483	100

2010 Cook County Board of Commissioners election

November 2, 2010
All 17 seats on the Cook County Board of Commissioners 9 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Party Democratic Republican Seats before 12 5 Seats won 13 4 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 875,019 356,573 Percentage 67.30% 27.42% Swing 9.15% 4.53%   Third party   Party Green Seats before 0 Seats won 0 Seat change Popular vote 68,644 Percentage 5.28% Swing 4.62%

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.

2010 Cook County Board of Review election

November 2, 2010
1 of 3 seats on the Cook County Board of Review 2 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Party Democratic Republican Seats before 3 0 Seats after 2 1 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 1 0 Races won 0 1

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 (in which no two seats have coinciding two-year terms), the seats rotate between two consecutive four-year terms and a two-year term.[31]

2010 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election

November 2, 2010
3 of 9 seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago 5 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Party Democratic Republican Green Seats before 9 0 0 Seats after 9 0 0 Seat change Seats up 3 0 0 Races won 3 0 0

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.[2] 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 T. Spyropoulos.[32] Each won reelection, joined by fellow Democrat Michael A. Alvarez in winning election.

8 judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County were up for partisan elections due to vacancies.[1] Other judgeships had retention elections.

13 subcircuit courts judgeships were also up for partisan elections due to vacancies.[1] Other judgeships had retention elections.

Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect the Democratic, Republican, and Green committeemen for the suburban townships.[33]

• 2010 Illinois elections