1986Final results
1986 election for Illinois's 17th District
U.S. House · Illinois
Lane Evans (D) won with 55.6% of the vote, defeating Sam McHard (R) by 11.3 points.
Lane EvansDemocrat · winner
55.6%85,442
Sam McHardRepublican
44.4%68,101
153,543 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 1986
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.
Lane EvansSam McHard
$632.4K
Raised by the campaign
$313.1K
$620.2K
Spent by the campaign
$312.7K
$14.3K
Cash on hand
$351
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986