1996Final results
1996 election for Illinois's 12th District
U.S. House · Illinois
Jerry F. Costello (D) won with 71.6% of the vote, defeating Shapley R. Hunter (R) by 45.0 points.
Jerry F. CostelloDemocrat · winner
71.6%150,005
Shapley R. HunterRepublican
26.6%55,690
Geoffrey S. NathanLibertarian
1.8%3,824
209,519 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 1996
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. CostelloShapley R. Hunter
$574.4K
Raised by the campaign
$4.8K
$506.3K
Spent by the campaign
$4.3K
$398.1K
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996; FEC, through Dec 5, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Jerry F. Costello (D)Shapley R. Hunter (R)
Also on the ballot: Geoffrey S. Nathan (Libertarian), 1.8%