Incumbent Senator Alan J. Dixon decided to run for re-election a third term, but he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Carol Moseley Braun, who won the general election.

Until 2022, this was the last time a single party won Illinois's Class 3 Senate seat in two or more consecutive elections.

He also spent a lot of money running advertisements attacking Dixon, weakening his support.

Moseley Braun won the 1992 Illinois Senate Race by a fairly comfortable margin.

Moseley Braun had a surprisingly strong showing in southern Illinois, which Republicans had come to dominate in the last several decades.