A majority of Illinois voters Nov. 4 said they want Republican Bruce Rauner as their next governor.
Rauner's victory comes after a long and expensive battle against incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn, who conceded victory from his headquarters at the Allegro Hotel in downtown Chicago.
Votes trickled in slowly, but by late evening, Rauner's lead gradually increased. WGN-TV called the race at about 10:30 p.m., with Rauner earning 1,473,324 votes—about 50% of the vote—and Quinn earning 1,385,071 votes, which was about 47%. But as of 10:45 p.m. the Quinn camp had not yet conceded, saying that many votes had yet to be counted.
At 11:15, Quinn appeared before supporters and said, "We believe in making sure that every vote counts … I don't believe in throwing in the towel when that many votes need to be counted."
Rauner spoke before his crowd minutes later. To an enthusiastic room, he said, "This is your victory. This is a victory for every family in Illinois … . This election is about bringing back our great state.
"This is an historic time in Illinois. The voters have spoken," he said, adding that he called both House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton and told them both that he was eager to work with them both in the service of the state.
"We knew this would be a close race at the beginning of the night, and we knew it was going to be a close race at the end," state Rep. Greg Harris, who won his district Nov. 4, told WGN-TV.
On Nov. 5, Quinn did concede at an afternoon press conference at the Thompson Center.
"We do not have enough votes to win the election, and we respect the results," Quinn said in his brief remarks, adding that he hopes Rauner works productively with the state legislature. Quinn also spoke of his relief that voters had given their approval to a proposed minimum wage hike on the ballot
The election was difficult for both candidates. While Rauner implied he'd bring a more robust economy and a shakeup of Springfield politics, Quinn and other critics charged that he did not outline any specific ideas or policies. Quinn, for his part, weathered criticism for his handling of the Illinois economy, unemployment, and myriad other challenges the state has faced.
Quinn's loss will surely dismay many progressive organizations and voters. While Rauner maintained that he had no social agenda, activists from organizations such as Equality Illinois PAC and Personal PAC contended that Rauner was at best ambivalent to LGBT and abortion rights and, at worst, downright hostile.
Citing a 2013 speech Rauner delivered shortly after Quinn signed the Religious Freedom and Marriage Equality Act, wherein he said the issue should have been decided by a voters' referendum, they contended that, had Rauner had the chance, he would have vetoed marriage equality for the state. Activists also pointed to Rauner's choice of Evelyn Sanguinetti, who was vocal in her opposition to marriage equality and abortion rights, as a running mate, as well as his accepting donations from right-wing contributors such as the DeVos family of Michigan.
Sanguinetti replaces Sheila Simon, who this year challenged Judy Baar Topinka for the office of Illinois State Comptroller. Topinka, however, defeated Simon 50-45%, with 92% of precincts reporting. While Simon's credentials were applauded by progressive organizations, most endorsed Topinka, citing her longtime experience and moderate positions on social issues such as marriage equality and abortion rights. Topinka has advocated for merging the comptroller's office with that of the state treasurer.
In her concession speech, Simon said, "I am a strong believer in the Democratic Party and a strong believer in the democratic process. I'm pleased to have participated in this process this evening."
Minutes later, Topinka gave her victory speech and her supporters began chanting her name. "Shush!," she exclaimed with a laugh.
The treasurer's race was one of the evening's tightest and had not been called as of publication time. Republican Tom Cross and Democrat Michael Frerichs were nearly locked, with Cross ahead by just about 1,400 votes, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Each had captured about 48% of the votes.
Secretary of State Jesse White defeated Republican Mike Webster in order to secure a fifth term, while Attorney General Lisa Madigan fended off challenger Paul Schimpf.
Related articles at the links:
www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Sidebar-Top-Cook-County-pols-return-for-another-term-/49533.html .
and
www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/ELECTIONS-2014-Durbin-tops-Oberweis-GOP-takes-Congress-local-LGBTs-win/49534.html .
