U.S. House seat · former district
Illinois's 21st District
8 elections since 1976: Democrats won 5, Republicans 3.
1990 election
Nov 6, 1990- Jerry F. Costello (D) · won66.0%
- Robert H. "bob" Gaffner (R)34.0%
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Every election for this seat
8 races since 1976. District numbers are redrawn after each census: each group is one set of lines.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Won by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lines first used in 1982 | |||
| 1990 | Jerry F. Costello (D) | Robert H. "bob" Gaffner (R) | 32.1 |
| 1988 | Jerry F. Costello (D) | Robert H. "bob" Gaffner (R) | 5.2 |
| 1986 | Melvin Price (D) | Robert H. "bob" Gaffner (R) | 0.7 |
| 1984 | Melvin Price (D) | Robert H. "bob" Gaffner (R) | 20.3 |
| 1982 | Melvin Price (D) | Robert H. "bob" Gaffner (R) | 30.4 |
| Lines first used in 1972 | |||
| 1980 | Edward Madigan (R) | Penny L. Severns (D) | 35.1 |
| 1978 | Edward Madigan (R) | Ken Baughman (D) | 56.5 |
| 1976 | Edward Madigan (R) | Anna Wall Scott (D) | 48.9 |
Won by: the winner's lead over the runner-up, in points of the vote. Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)