1996Final results
1996 election for Illinois's 17th District
U.S. House · Illinois
Lane Evans (D) won with 51.9% of the vote, defeating Mark Baker (R) by 4.7 points.
Lane EvansDemocrat · winner
51.9%120,008
Mark BakerRepublican
47.3%109,240
William J. HerrmannLibertarian
0.8%1,925
231,173 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.
Lane EvansMark Baker
$644.8K
Raised by the campaign
$508.5K
$652.1K
Spent by the campaign
$506.8K
$4.9K
Cash on hand
$2.3K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996