III, former United States Senator and 1982 gubernatorial nominee, defeated Larry Burgess in the Democratic primary. Originally Neil Hartigan had declared himself a candidate for governor, but after Stevenson's entrance into the race, he instead opted to run for reelection as Illinois Attorney General. Lieutenant Governor Republican primary Governor Incumbent James R. Thompson defeated his sole challenger, Peter Bowen. Lieutenant Governor Incumbent George Ryan won the Republican primary for lieutenant governor, running unopposed. Third-party nominations Adlai Stevenson III's newly-formed Illinois Solidarity Party nominated him for governor and Mike Howlett for lieutenant governor. Stevenson opted to avoid having his ticket spoiling the performance of non-LaRouche affiliated Democratic nominees for statewide office by having political unknowns nominated on his Solidarity slate for all offices except lieutenant governor and secretary of state. The Libertarian Party nominated Gary L. Shilts for governor and Gerry Walsh for lieutenant governor. The Socialist Workers Party nominated Diane Roling for governor and Jim Little for lieutenant governor. Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, a strong supporter of Stevenson's candidacy, worked to combat an attempt by a Black activist to collect signatures for a third-party slate of Black candidates for statewide office, which was seen as likely to threaten Stevenson in a general election by dividing the Black vote. General election Thompson's reelection campaign received the backing of incumbent Republican president Ronald Reagan. References Gubernatorial Illinois 1986