1980Final results
1980 election for Illinois's 8th District
U.S. House · Illinois
Daniel Rostenkowski (D) won with 84.7% of the vote, defeating Walter F. Zilke (R) by 69.3 points.
Daniel RostenkowskiDemocrat · winner
84.7%98,524
Walter F. ZilkeRepublican
15.3%17,845
116,373 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.
Daniel RostenkowskiNo Republican
$194.2K
Raised by the campaign
—
$99.4K
Spent by the campaign
—
$0
Cash on hand
—
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980