Power grab

When Illinois elected three state representatives from each legislative district, the Democratic and Republican parties only slated two candidates in each district, thus allowing each party to hold at least one seat in every district in the state.

Occasionally, the dominant party in the district sought to exert its strength and tried to corral all three seats. In addition to the two party-slated candidates, it fielded one person who ran on the Independent line on the ballot and outpolled the competitor of the smaller party.

That’s how Taylor Pouncey was elected to three of his terms in an Englewood-based district (1975-81), allowing Democrats to occupy all three State House seats for a time (Reformer Peggy Smith Martin defeated the Democratic Machine candidate in the primary election during one of those terms).