Quinn Concedes To Rauner
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One day after declaring he would continue to fight until the last vote was counted, Gov. Pat Quinn conceded the governor's race to Bruce Rauner today.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine first reported the decision, citing a highly placed source, and Quinn later confirmed it at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
"The votes have been counted," Quinn said. "It's clear we don't have enough votes to win the election."
Quinn took no questions after making a brief statement to reporters
On Tuesday night, Quinn said he would wait until all the votes were counted. While more votes were counted on Wednesday, there were still some outstanding, Quinn said.
However, the math was clearly not in his favor and he was trailing Rauner by about 170,000 votes with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
"We will never, ever yield until all the votes are in," said a defiant Quinn on Tuesday night, adding that it may take a few days to complete that task.
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With nearly all the precincts reporting, Quinn was trailing Rauner by 5 percentage points, or about 170,000 votes.
Rauner won 101 of the 102 counties in Illinois, only losing in Cook County, where Quinn's base is located.
However, Quinn's margin of victory in Cook was about 112,000 votes less than is razor-thin triumph in 2010 against Bill Brady.
Governor-elect Bruce Rauner issued the following statement:
"I thank Governor Quinn for his many years of service to Illinois and appreciate his commitment to making this a smooth transition. I look forward to getting to work to make Illinois the most compassionate and competitive state in the nation."
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel issued this statement:
"Governor Quinn has been a great partner to the City of Chicago. I would like to thank him for the work he has done on behalf of our residents, and I will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him as we fight to raise the minimum wage over the next two months. I would also like to congratulate Governor-elect Bruce Rauner. We must work together on behalf of all Chicagoans and put progress ahead of politics to move Chicago and Illinois forward."
Rauner also received a congratulatory phone call from President Barack Obama.
