1943 Chicago mayoral election
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1943, incumbent Edward J. Kelly was reelected with a 9% margin of victory.
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Nominations
Democratic primary
Reform-oriented Democrats supported a challenge by alderman John S. Boyle to incumbent mayor Edward J. Kelly.[1] This challenge failed to amount to much, with Kelly easily defeating Boyle.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edward J. Kelly (incumbent) | 438,546 | 79.00 | |
| Democratic | John S. Boyle | 82,836 | 14.92 | |
| Democratic | Billy Pratts | 33,722 | 6.08 | |
| Turnout | 555,104 | |||
Republican primary
George McKibbin won the Republican nomination by a landslide margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George McKibbin | 318,166 | 76.27 | |
| Republican | Arthur F. Albert | 80,868 | 19.39 | |
| Republican | John Homer Lyle | 18,136 | 4.35 | |
| Turnout | 417,170 | |||
General election
Like other Republicans that had run against Kelly, McKibbin framed his campaign as a crusade against machine politics.[1]
McKibbin declared "Pendergast is out in K.C., Hague in Jersey, and Tammany in New York have been cleaned out. Now it is time to clean out the Kelly-Nash machine."[1]
McKibbin also attacked links between the political machine and criminal activity.[1]
Kelly did not campaign. Confident in his chances of victory, Kelly flaunted heavy gravitas and balked at the thought of campaigning.[1]
Results
Voter turnout was considered to be very light.[1] Kelly won what was considered to be a very solid victory.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edward J. Kelly (incumbent) | 685,567 | 54.54 | |
| Republican | George McKibbin | 571,547 | 45.47 | |
| Turnout | 1,257,114 | |||
References
- The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition, fourth edition by Paul M. Green, Melvin G. Holli SIU Press, Jan 10, 2013
- "RaceID=609082". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- "RaceID=609083". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- "RaceID=123287". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2018.


