2018Final results
2018 election for Illinois's 15th District
U.S. House · Illinois
John Shimkus (R) won with 70.9% of the vote, defeating Kevin Gaither (D) by 41.9 points.
John ShimkusRepublican · winner
70.9%181,294
Kevin GaitherDemocrat
29.1%74,309
Tim E. BucknerOther party
0.0%5
255,619 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 6:17 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2018
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 6:17 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Kevin GaitherJohn Shimkus
$53.6K
Raised by the campaign
$2M
$53.5K
Spent by the campaign
$1.8M
$76
Cash on hand
$1M
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2018.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2018