1986Final results
1986 election for Illinois's 8th District
U.S. House · Illinois
Daniel Rostenkowski (D) won with 78.7% of the vote, defeating Thomas J. Defazio (R) by 57.5 points.
Daniel RostenkowskiDemocrat · winner
78.7%82,873
Thomas J. DefazioRepublican
21.3%22,383
105,256 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.
Daniel RostenkowskiNo Republican
$244K
Raised by the campaign
—
$240.2K
Spent by the campaign
—
$596.7K
Cash on hand
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Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986