Republican gubernatorial challenger and state Sen. Bill Brady conceded defeat to Democratic incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn Nov. 5.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Brady told a packed room of reporters in Bloomington, "I just a few minutes ago got off the phone with Gov. Quinn and congratulated him on his victory. We came to the conclusion that Gov. Quinn won this race."
Brady called state Republican leaders that morning to let them know he was going to concede; he trailed by more than 19,000 votes.
The bitterly fought ( and very close ) race was seen as probably one of the most polarizing in the state as the candidates were on opposite ends of the spectrum regarding social issues. While Quinn supports abortion rights and civil unions for same-sex couples, Brady is not only seen as anti-gay but anti-woman in some circles as well, since he opposes abortions, even in cases of rape or incest.
The Associated Press had projected Quinn as the winner Nov. 4.
The pro-LGBT organization Equality Illinois issued a press release Nov. 5 saying that it "succeeded in electing a strong pro-equality slate of candidates in Tuesday's election. The organization was especially pleased with the edge that its aggressive election efforts gave to Gov. Pat Quinn, enabling his re-election."