1972Final results
1972 election for Illinois Legislative District 21
Illinois State Senate · Illinois
Raymond J. Welsh Jr. (D) won with 78.1% of the vote, defeating Richard Frederick Wood (R) by 56.2 points.
Raymond J. Welsh Jr.Democrat · winner
78.1%37,894
Richard Frederick WoodRepublican
21.9%10,610
48,515 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1972
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET