Will Republicans have a winner today?
More than a month after voters hit the polls, Republicans may finally learn who will lead them against Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in the general election.
Several hundred votes have separated state Sens. Bill Brady of Bloomington and Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale in the packed GOP primary for governor since the Feb. 2 election.
Dillard's campaign believes he is down by about 247 votes out of roughly three-quarters of a million ballots cast. But he has been holding out for an official tally from the Illinois State Board of Elections before conceding.
That day has come. The board will meet midmorning today to approve the final canvass of statewide votes.
Officials weren't offering any early peeks at the numbers Thursday.
"They are still finishing up," said Rupert Borgsmiller, assistant executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections. "They are still going back and cross-checking."
While campaign tabulations of votes statewide have put Dillard about 247 votes behind Brady, that number could easily have changed as state officials have been poring over the data from more than 100 agencies during the last two weeks.
Dillard plans to concede today if the figures stay relatively the same or the gap widens.
"It will be the concluding statement of the campaign if the numbers remain as they are," said campaign spokesman Wes Bleed.
But, if Dillard's loss narrows, he could consider a recount. Dillard has said he won't opt for that costly and legally challenging move unless he is about 100 votes or fewer within Brady's final tally.
"If the numbers are sizably different in Kirk's favor, I think he would have to pause and reflect and have a revised statement to make," Bleed said.
Dillard, a veteran lawmaker and former top aide to Gov. Jim Edgar, has scheduled an afternoon news conference in Chicago.
Both Dillard and Brady have been cordial during the last month of uncertainty, though both also have reassured supporters they expect to come out victorious in the end.
"This hasn't been an easy time. It's been a frustrating time for many," Brady said Thursday. "But I just want to say I have the utmost respect for my friend and colleague Senator Dillard and appreciate what he's done and how he's handled this."
The two say either one will have a good shot at unseating Quinn, who barely survived his own brutal primary challenge after taking over the helm from ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Green Party candidate Rich Whitney of Carbondale is also on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Brady and Dillard oppose Quinn's call for tax hikes to balance the state's massive $13 billion budget shortfall, instead offering generalized plans for long-term spending reforms and unspecified service cuts to bridge the funding gap.
Brady was the lone downstate candidate in the suburban-heavy Republican primary. The businessman ran and lost in the 2006 GOP primary for governor but pulled ahead this time by gaining a clear majority of support south of Interstate 80.
Dillard, meanwhile, enjoyed the support of both unions and conservative groups while he touted his backing from Edgar in TV and radio ads. However, he failed to pull a win in any collar county or Chicago as he competed with former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna of Chicago, former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan of Elmhurst, Hinsdale businessman Adam Andrzejewski, Chicago conservative pundit Dan Proft and DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom.
• Daily Herald staff writer Timothy Magaw contributed to this report.