Dillard hopes final bunch of votes beats Brady
SPRINGFIELD - Election officials across the state are scheduled to finish counting absentee and provisional ballots today, offering an unofficial tally that could foreshadow who will be the Republican nominee for governor.
At last count, Bloomington Republican State Sen. Bill Brady unofficially topped fellow state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale by roughly 420 votes. That total did not include absentee or unconfirmed provisional votes, however, which county clerks across Illinois are expected to finish tabulating today.
Both campaigns said that they would have staff and volunteers collecting the latest numbers from across the state today as they ponder their next moves.
For Dillard, the count could indicate whether the gap narrowed, potentially spurring a push for a recount in the coming weeks, or widen and force him to consider conceding.
"So we might have a little bit of a better idea tomorrow," Dillard said.
"I mean every election office locally is canvassing and double checking numbers, and when you have five thousandths of a percent of difference out of three-quarters of a million ballots to check, it's important everybody check your math and make sure all the votes have been counted," Dillard said. "We're essentially in a wait-and-see mode."
He's counting on Chicagoland votes tilting his way. Brady trailed the field of GOP candidates in the area and instead relied on overwhelming downstate support to build his narrow lead in the race to be the GOP nominee in the November match against Democratic nominee Gov. Pat Quinn. Rich Whitney of Carbondale will also be on the ballot representing the Green Party.
Asked if there was a specific vote margin that would be the breaking point toward concession or a recount, Dillard said he didn't know at this point and would wait to make those decisions after the votes are known. He said the key date is March 5 when the Illinois State Board of Elections makes the re results official.
"There's no magic number in my head. I just want to see how close it gets," he said. "The last couple votes that have trickled in have gone my way and everybody just needs to relax."
Brady's campaign has maintained the belief that its lead will hold up through the final votes. The two campaigns have remained amicable even as the near deadlock is about to carry the primary into its third week of overtime.
"We've just been very respectful of Senator Dillard and letting the process play out," said Brady spokesman Dan Egler. "And we're confident that after those all are counted statewide, that Senator Brady will still be in the lead in the contest."
Either Brady or Dillard will join Republican lieutenant governor nominee Jason Plummer on the GOP ticket. The Democrats, meanwhile, are still looking for a nominee after top vote-getter Scott Lee Cohen chose to drop out amid a growing controversy over allegations of violence against women and steroid use in his recent past. Cohen turned over official paperwork to state Democratic Party leaders on Friday and those papers should be filed with state election officials today.
Picking a new Democratic lieutenant governor nominee will fall to the state party's central committee.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Key election dates:</p>
<p class="News"><b>Feb. 2:</b> Statewide primary election</p>
<p class="News"><b>Feb. 4:</b> Deadline for provisional voters to submit proof-of-registration materials</p>
<p class="News"><b>Feb. 16:</b> Deadline for local election authorities to calculate absentee and provisional votes</p>
<p class="News"><b>Feb. 23:</b> Last day for local election authorities to submit absentee and provisional votes to the State Board of Elections</p>
<p class="News"><b>March 5:</b> Last day for the State Board of Elections to tally election results</p>
<p class="News"><i>Source: Illinois State Board of Elections</i></p>