Posted by Monique Garcia, Rick Pearson, Ray Long and Christi Parsons at 5 a.m.; last updated at 9:12 p.m.
Democrat Dan Hynes on Thursday is expected to announce the fate of his campaign against Gov. Pat Quinn as political allies privately acknowledged tonight that a drawn-out recount doesn’t appear viable.
Republicans, however, are gearing up for the possibility of a recount as little more than 400 votes separate state Sens. Bill Brady of Bloomington and Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale.
More than a day after voters delivered two of the closest governor primaries in Illinois history, the dynamics of the fall campaign for the state’s top job remained far from settled. Instead of Democrats and Republicans attacking the other party’s nominee, they found themselves dealing with unfinished business inside their own camps.
Hynes, the three-term comptroller had vowed to “continue fighting” when he addressed supporters shortly before midnight Wednesday, and to wait until all the Democratic votes were counted following a close and often bitter contest against Quinn.
But Quinn claimed victory, and in the ensuing hours his lead grew to nearly 8,100 votes — an almost insurmountable number for Hynes to overcome and a margin that made it difficult to press for a recount. Hynes spent Wednesday out of the public eye as he pondered his next move.
Quinn called on Democrats to come together, but did not publicly push Hynes to end his campaign, saying he’s “not going to tell anybody what to do.”
“I think Dan Hynes will do what’s right for the Democratic Party,” said Quinn, who praised his rival for putting his “heart and soul” into the contentious race.
Several of Hynes’ political backers said the comptroller was finding little support for an extended recount push. They asked not to be identified so as not to pre-empt Hynes’ announcement.
If Hynes concedes defeat, the decision also likely would bring to an end one of the city’s most prominent political dynasties. Hynes’ father, Tom, was a former Illinois Senate president and Cook County assessor who led the political operations of the 19th Ward. The younger Hynes, 41, was elected comptroller in 1998 but will be out of office next January.
While Hynes’ announcement could bring clarity to one of the governor’s races, the Republican side remains anything but clear.
The GOP still faces days, if not longer, in finding out who its nominee will be against Quinn in the November general election.
That made today’s Republican unity breakfast awkward. Both Brady and Dillard were seated at the head table, separated by a lectern, with no clear governor nominee for the party to rally around.
Dillard is consulting with a top election law attorney as the possibility of a recount looms. He won’t even be able to request a partial recount until the Illinois State Board of Elections certifies the results on March 5. From there, a complicated process unfolds that could include legal arguments before the state Supreme Court, day after day of ballot examinations, election board hearings and further legal action.
Think Florida 2000 and the presidential contest between then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, or maybe Al Franken and Norm Coleman in the 2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate race. Though electronic ballot counting technology has replaced those scenes of election judges gazing through magnifying glasses at hanging chads, the drama of what constitutes a valid ballot could still be perilously slow.
Asked about a recount on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight,” Dillard said he hasn’t gotten that far yet.
Brady joked about the close contest at the unity breakfast.
“I know this election’s tight, and I wish Sen. Dillard would concede right now,” Brady said to his rival. But Brady’s tone became more serious when he said, “this ticket, and our ticket around the state, has no time to waste” to launch the 2010 general election against Democrats.
Nearly 24 hours after the polls closed, Dillard issued a statement noting “there are hundreds of provisional and absentee ballots left to be counted.” Dillard added, “We believe every Illinoisans’ voice needs and deserves to be heard. We do not know who won yet and we probably won’t for several more days.”
Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady, no relation, addressed the possibility of a recount.
“I pledge to you, this will be done properly, it will be done fairly, it will be done within the letter of the law,” Pat Brady said. “All your votes will be counted.”
Quinn said tonight that he doesn’t care whether he faces Brady or Dillard this fall.
The governor’s remarks came hours after President Barack Obama made what the White House described as a congratulatory call to Quinn for winning the close Democratic primary.
Bill Burton, the deputy White House press secretary, said he had not talked to Obama about whether the president supported what several state Democrats have expressed privately — that Hynes should concede the contest due to the governor’s expanded lead.
Quinn said he had taken a break from greeting voters Wednesday morning when Obama called. Quinn said that the call was friendly and congratulatory for his winning campaign.
Burton later confirmed that Obama also called Hynes, who unsuccessfully challenged the president in the 2004 Democratic U.S. Senate primary. Despite Hynes’ defeat, he was among the first to publicly suggest that Obama run for president.
Hynes aides said the White House made the call Wednesday morning but it wasn’t until noon-time that the two were able to talk, as the comptroller made clear his desire that every vote in the contest be counted.
State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, who was on the dais early Wednesday with Quinn and several prominent African-American leaders, said the governor’s vote margin is too big to overcome.
“I think it would behoove him to give it some thought as to how a (drawn out election) will effect our party this year,” Lang said.
Posted at 8:12 p.m.
Democratic governor candidate Dan Hynes will make "an important announcement" about his campaign Thursday morning, his campaign said tonight.
Hynes trails Gov. Pat Quinn by nearly 8,100 votes with all of the precincts
reporting. Some absentee and provisional ballots have yet to be
counted, but there are unlikely to be enough of them to impact the contest.
Quinn, however, was not publicly pushing Hynes to end his campaign.
"I think that’s up to Dan Hynes," said Quinn when asked if he expects Hynes to concede Thursday morning.
"I think Dan Hynes will do what’s right for the Democratic Party," said Quinn, who praised his rival for putting his "heart and soul" into the contentious race.
The Hynes campaign news came after President Barack Obama today made what the White House described as a congratulatory call to Gov. Pat Quinn for winning the close Democratic governor primary, also calling Comptroller Dan Hynes to talk about his campaign effort.
Quinn said he had taken a break from greeting voters this morning when Obama called. Quinn told WTTW’s "Chicago Tonight" that the call was friendly and congratulatory for his winning campaign.
The news first surfaced at today’s White House press briefing, where Bill Burton, the deputy press secretary, said he had not talked to Obama about whether the president supported what several Illinois Democrats have expressed privately — that Hynes should concede the contest due to Quinn’s expanded lead.
Burton later confirmed that the president also called Hynes, the comptroller who once unsuccessfully challenged Obama in the 2004 Democratic U.S. Senate primary. Despite Hynes’ defeat, he was among the first to publicly suggest that Obama make a bid for the presidential nomination.
Hynes aides said the White House made the call this morning, but it wasn’t until noon-time that the two were able to talk as the comptroller made clear his desire that every vote in the contest be counted.
Quinn this morning called on Democrats to get behind his
campaign for governor, but stopped short of calling on Hynes to give up while votes are still being counted.
"I just think the results are in, the primary is over, the people
heard both candidates and got a chance to vote,” Quinn said. “After
that’s over, it’s time to count the votes and move on.”
“The numbers speak for themselves," he said.
Asked on "Chicago Tonight" whether he preferred to face Republican Bill Brady or Kirk Dillard this fall, Quinn said he didn’t care.
On the GOP side, Illinois Republicans gathered downtown for a unity breakfast but found they had to add an extra seat at the main table.
With the governor’s contest still undecided, state Sens. Brady and Dillard both were seated on the dais, separated by a lectern.
Orange and blue signs adorning the meeting room at the Union League Club read, "Illinois is next!" That’s a reference to Republican victories in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
But what is next for the Illinois GOP is unclear: With 100 percent of precincts counted, unofficial results this morning showed Brady with a 406-vote lead over Dillard.
Entering the breakfast, Brady said he believes his lead will hold. He also heralded voters’ selection of Jason Plummer for lieutenant governor, saying he’ll be member of a "great team."
"It’s clean break from the politics of the past," Brady said. "We’re going to go on to victory in November."
Brady, of Bloomington, dismissed questions of whether he’s too conservative. "I support the values of Illinois residents," he said.
Brady said he and Dillard have been friends a long time and that he will respect whatever decision Dillard makes about whether to seek a recount.
"Our strategy was simple," said Brady, the only downstate candidate. "We were running against five, six Chicago guys. We needed to solidify our base. But we did that 11 months ago by deciding we had to build the strongest grassroots effort this state has ever seen.
Dillard said he’s confident he will be the Republican nominee.
“We’ll have a better feel today when we see 100 percent of the precincts reporting,” he said. “It’ll be a while before they’re all in, but we’ll know I think by sundown today. I’ll be in the lead.”
Late this afternoon, Dillard put out a statement urging patience.
"A winner has not been decided yet. Yesterday’s election was really close and the simple fact is that they are still counting the votes. There are hundreds of provisional and absentee ballots left to be counted along with several precincts votes to be reported. We believe every Illinoisan’s voice needs and deserves to be heard. We do not know who won yet and we probably won’t for several more days," the campaign statement read.
"Rumors of a victory are not legitimate when votes are still being counted. I’m confident that when all of the ballots have been counted, I will be the Republican nominee for governor,” he said in the statement.
Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady, no relation, addressed the possibility of a recount in the governor’s race.
"I pledge to you, this will be done properly, it will be done fairly,
it will be done within the letter of the law," Pat Brady said. "All your
votes will be counted."
In the Democratic governor’s contest, Hynes is staying out of the public eye so far today.
"We are still in the same posture as last night, taking a look this morning at where things stand," Hynes spokesman Matt McGrath said. "We’re not prepared to declare victory or concede until all the votes are counted."
McGrath also said it remains unclear whether Hynes will seek a recount. He trails Quinn by a little less than 7,100 votes with 99 percent counted.
Hynes told supporters after midnight that there were still votes to be counted; this morning Cook County officials were to resume tabulating ballots from 24 precincts they didn’t get to after midnight.
“I know where the precincts are and just since midnight of last night our lead has lengthened,” Quinn said to reporters after thanking voters in Chicago this morning. “It was a close election, there’s no doubt about it.”
“But after it’s over, people come together. I haven’t won every election of my life, sometimes I’m on the short end and life goes on. It’s important for people I think to understand the Democratic party has very robust contest in the primary, but the tradition in our party is that the candidates come together after the primary and work together for the candidates in the fall.”
Asked if he was calling on Hynes to concede, Quinn said he’s "not going to tell anybody what to do."
Quinn also said he had not yet spoken to pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen, who claimed victory in the Democratic lieutenant governor’s race. Cohen, a big-spending political rookie and surprise winner, will have to answer questions during the general
election race about a 2005 misdemeanor domestic battery charge. He was
accused of beating a woman, but the case was dropped a month later when
she refused to pursue the charges.
Asked about that, Quinn said he doesn’t "like to have any opinions on things where I don’t have the facts.”
“One thing I was impressed with was he’s committed to jobs,” Quinn said. “I think he’s had jobs fairs all over. I look forward to anybody who wants to get the economy moving again and good jobs for Illinois… anyone committed to that is OK with me.”
Posted by Tribune staff at 5 a.m.
Turns out Illinois’ fast-moving primary isn’t over yet.
While Chicago Ald. Toni Preckwinkle won decisively over Cook County Board President Todd Stroger Tuesday night, things were much tighter in both races for governor.
Republicans headed to a unity breakfast this morning with their governor nominee still in doubt. State Sens. Bill Brady of Bloomington and Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale were within 1,500 votes of each other with 99 percent of the unofficial vote counted this morning. Each had 20 percent of the tally in a six-way contest.
On the Democratic side, Gov. Pat Quinn declared himself the winner, even though Comptroller Dan Hynes had not conceded defeat. Hynes trailed by fewer than 6,000 votes as results trickled in.
The possibility of lengthy and expensive recounts looms, which will put pressure on elections officials who aren’t even done counting the ballots and certifying the election results yet.
As Cook County Clerk David Orr stood at the front counter of his offices Tuesday evening perusing elections results, he joked with reporters about his potential nightmare.
"Have any of you ever seen one election with a dozen recounts," he said, shaking his head. "I see a lot of very tight races here."
Orr said he anticipates recount petitions despite the fact rivals are from the same party.
"In my experience, these inter party battles can be just as rancorous as any," he said.
In preparation, Orr’s staff passed out the recount rules to reporters awaiting election results. They are:
*If a losing margin is within 5 percent of the winner, the candidate can demand a "discovery recount."
*In a discovery recount, the losing candidate can petition the clerk’s office to retabulate votes in up to 25 percent of the precincts of the candidates choice.
*If the discovery recount uncovers evidence of missed votes or disenfranchisement, the candidate can then opt to sue in circuit court for a full recount, a process Orr said can take months to complete.
*Filing for discovery recount is March 1.
There aren’t going to be recounts in the U.S. Senate race, where Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk are set to square off for President Barack Obama’s old seat.