Editing Kankakee County, Illinois (section)

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Kankakee County, Illinois|source=<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leip |first=David |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323225526/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |archive-date=March 23, 2018 |access-date=May 6, 2018 |website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|28,285|18,399|1,101|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|28,532|20,271|1,237|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|25,129|18,971|3,205|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|23,136|21,595|923|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|22,527|24,750|861|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|24,739|20,003|294|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|20,049|19,180|954|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|14,595|16,820|3,826|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|15,411|17,229|7,431|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|20,316|15,147|292|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|23,807|15,246|612|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|23,810|14,626|2,437|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|23,003|18,394|711|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|26,866|13,434|73|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|20,025|14,460|3,765|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|16,082|20,792|0|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|20,311|17,115|26|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|21,993|11,088|47|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|20,279|12,636|90|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|15,699|11,305|197|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|15,256|11,342|90|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|15,998|13,716|124|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|10,935|13,162|2,441|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|10,873|13,555|364|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|11,905|10,247|127|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|12,462|2,488|3,521|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|12,853|2,828|520|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|10,594|6,096|319|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1912|Republican|3,178|2,532|3,018|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|5,999|2,461|303|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|6,162|1,652|410|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|5,798|2,674|125|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|5,471|2,370|181|Illinois}}
{{PresFoot|1892|Republican|3,577|2,763|233|Illinois}}
Kankakee County is currently considered a Republican-leaning swing county. In the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 Presidential Election]], Kankakee County voted 52 percent in favor of Illinois native [[Barack Obama]] (D), giving 47 percent to [[John McCain]] (R). However, in the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 Presidential Election]], Kankakee County voted 55 percent in favor of [[George W. Bush]] (R) and 44 percent for [[John Kerry]] (D).

Kankakee County is split between [[Illinois's 2nd congressional district]], represented by Democrat [[Robin Kelly]] (D-Matteson), and [[Illinois's 1st congressional district]], represented by [[Jonathan Jackson (Illinois politician)|Jonathan Jackson]] (D-Chicago). Kankakee County has produced three governors: [[Len Small]] (R), [[Samuel H. Shapiro]] (D), and [[George Ryan|George H. Ryan]] (R).

In December 2016, Kankakee County became the only county in Illinois to have a Libertarian county board member when Jim Byrne of Bradley left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Kankakee County Board's Byrne Joins Libertarian Party of Illinois |date=December 7, 2016 |publisher=[[Libertarian Party of Illinois]] |location=[[Springfield, Illinois]] |url=https://www.lp.org/kankakee-county-boards-byrne-joins-libertarian-party-of-illinois/ |access-date=April 18, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418163101/https://www.lp.org/kankakee-county-boards-byrne-joins-libertarian-party-of-illinois/ |archive-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref> In the 2020 general election, Byrne lost reelection to Democratic candidate Heather Bryan, while Libertarian Jacob Collins was elected unopposed on the Libertarian line continuing Kankakee County's distinction of being the only county with a Libertarian board member<ref>{{Cite news |last=Winger |first=Richard |date=November 22, 2020 |title=Libertarian Party Won Four Partisan Races Earlier This Month |url=https://ballot-access.org/2020/11/22/libertarian-party-won-four-partisan-races-earlier-this-month/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122185822/https://ballot-access.org/2020/11/22/libertarian-party-won-four-partisan-races-earlier-this-month/ |archive-date=November 22, 2020 |access-date=October 6, 2022 |work=[[Ballot Access News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Breach |first=Chris |date=November 4, 2020 |title=Kankakee County Board District 23 |url=https://www.daily-journal.com/news/elections/kankakee-county-board-district-23/article_7ab26bb6-1e23-11eb-8f39-738f92890f0d.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104160058/https://www.daily-journal.com/news/elections/kankakee-county-board-district-23/article_7ab26bb6-1e23-11eb-8f39-738f92890f0d.html |archive-date=November 4, 2020 |work=Daily Journal}}</ref> until Collins opted not to run for reelection in the 2022 general election.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Breach |first=Chris |date=November 9, 2023 |title=Republicans sweep other 5 contested Kankakee County Board seats |url=https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/republicans-sweep-other-5-contested-kankakee-county-board-seats/article_37a1300c-5fe7-11ed-891d-87693f82f56f.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109190639/https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/republicans-sweep-other-5-contested-kankakee-county-board-seats/article_37a1300c-5fe7-11ed-891d-87693f82f56f.html |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |access-date=July 14, 2023 |work=[[Daily Journal (Illinois)|Daily Journal]]}}</ref>