Dillard concedes GOP nomination to Brady
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| Illinois Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, left, confers with a Republican staffer while on the Senate floor during session at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Monday, Mar. 2, 2010. Official results from the State Board of Elections show Sen. Bill Brady won the Republican nomination for Illinois governor by 193 votes. (AP Photo) |
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – State Sen. Bill Brady emerged as the Republican nominee for governor on Friday when the State Board of Elections declared him the official winner by a mere 193 votes and the second-place finisher conceded defeat.
Brady's victory means he'll face Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in the fall, offering voters a stark contrast on social issues, economic policy and views on how to close the state's record $13 billion deficit.
Kirk Dillard, a state senator from Hinsdale, could have sought a recount but decided not to contest the outcome of the GOP primary.
"I will help Sen. Brady in any way I can to ensure the Republican Party wins back the governor's office in November," Dillard said in a statement.
Brady was scheduled to make a statement Friday afternoon and then thank voters at a Chicago train station.
Quinn said Friday that he looks forward to facing Brady and discussing the "Grand Canyon" of differences between them.
The governor is a Chicago resident familiar to voters across the state from his year as governor and his long history as a consumer activist. Brady is a Bloomington state senator and little-known in the Chicago region, where most voters live.
Quinn is a liberal on social issues and an outspoken advocate of raising taxes to help maintain state services. Brady opposes abortion and gun control and maintains that government spending should be slashed to close the biggest deficit in Illinois history.
Brady is a businessman and real estate developer who has spent 17 years in the Illinois Legislature. Quinn's experience is serving in public office or acting as a government watchdog and consumer advocate.
Normally, the results of a primary are clear on election day, but officials said this race was perhaps the closest statewide election in Illinois history. Brady captured 20.26 percent of the vote in the GOP primary, while Dillard got 20.24 percent and five other candidates divided the rest.
The 193-vote margin amounts to 25 one-thousandths of 1 percent of all votes cast in the Republican race.
With the race so tight, Dillard insisted on seeing the official results before deciding his next step.
