74 Republican National Convention delegates (64 pledged, 10 unpledged) Pledged delegates directly-elected in vote separate from statewide presidential preference vote
Texas GovernorGeorge W. Bush won the contest with 67.40% of the popular vote and the majority in every congressional district.[2]
Procedure
Illinois assigned 60 of its 70 delegates to be directly elected.[1] The Illinois primary was a so-called "loophole" primary, in which delegates were assigned by direct-level voting on delegate candidates whose proclaimed presidential preferences were listed beside their names on the ballot (as opposed to be assigned based upon the performance of a candidate in the presidential preference vote).[1] Congressional districts were allocated delegates based on the extent of the district's support for Bob Dole in the 1996 presidential general election.[1]
The remaining ten unpledged delegates were selected at the Illinois Republican Party Convention.[1]
Bush received 67.4% of the popular vote, while John McCain, a Senator from Arizona and the eventual 2008 Republican presidential nominee, and Alan Keyes received 21.54% and 8.97% of the vote, respectively.[2] The split of the popular vote across three candidates, despite McCain's withdrawal earlier in the month and Keyes' status as a fringe candidate, was interpreted as dissatisfaction with Bush as the presumptive nominee.[3]