1980Final results
1980 election for Illinois's 18th District
U.S. House · Illinois
Robert Michel (R) won with 62.1% of the vote, defeating John L. Knuppel (D) by 24.3 points.
Robert MichelRepublican · winner
62.1%125,561
John L. KnuppelDemocrat
37.8%76,471
202,043 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
John L. KnuppelRobert Michel
$27.4K
Raised by the campaign
$168.7K
$28.4K
Spent by the campaign
$134.5K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980