1990Final results
1990 election for Illinois's 21st District
U.S. House · Illinois
Jerry F. Costello (D) won with 66.0% of the vote, defeating Robert H. "bob" Gaffner (R) by 32.1 points.
Jerry F. CostelloDemocrat · winner
66.0%95,208
Robert H. "bob" GaffnerRepublican
34.0%48,949
144,157 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 1990
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.
Jerry F. CostelloRobert H. "bob" Gaffner
$719.7K
Raised by the campaign
$24.7K
$446.2K
Spent by the campaign
$26.2K
$273.8K
Cash on hand
$374
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1990; FEC, through Sep 30, 1990.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1990