1986Final results
1986 election for Illinois's 21st District
U.S. House · Illinois
Melvin Price (D) won with 50.4% of the vote, defeating Robert H. "bob" Gaffner (R) by 0.7 points.
Melvin PriceDemocrat · winner
50.4%65,722
Robert H. "bob" GaffnerRepublican
49.6%64,779
130,501 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.
Melvin PriceRobert H. "bob" Gaffner
$127K
Raised by the campaign
$150.4K
$143K
Spent by the campaign
$137.4K
$3.1K
Cash on hand
$13.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986; FEC, through Jan 31, 1987.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986