If Pat Quinn has anything to say about it, the close race to be Governor of Illinois did not end on election night.
Several hours after the polls closed, multiple media outlets called the race in favor of Republican challenger Bruce Rauner. By about 11:30 p.m., unofficial results showed about 95% of all precincts had reported and Rauner’s lead was just over 100,000 votes. Rauner had 50% of the vote, versus Quinn’s 47%.
As Rauner delivered his acceptance speech, Quinn spoke to his supporters and said he was not going to concede.
“The prudent thing to do is to thank all the people who voted today. They exercised their fundamental right to participate in our democracy, and they’re entitled to make sure that the election authorities in every single county – including Chicago and Cook County – count their votes,” Quinn said.
“And they’re going to be counting tomorrow, and the next day and probably the next day. And until that happens, I don’t think we should make any judgment on the results of this election.”
His supporters appeared to return the loyalty, with shouts of “we love you” heard from the crowd as Quinn delivered his speech.
“We will never, ever yield until all of the results are in,” Quinn said.
The morning after the election, the homepage of Quinn's campaign website continued to drive home the notion that the election isn't quite over.
