Pat Quinn concession speech brief, belated

Nov 6, 2014

Minimal congratulations to Rauner in Pat Quinn concession.

Though Bruce Rauner, Illinois’ Republican governor-elect, accepted victory and thanked supporters by the late evening on Election Night, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn was unconvinced of his defeat until the next day, saying he would wait until every vote was counted before conceding.

But by the afternoon following Election Day, Quinn admitted that uncounted ballots could not close the 5-percent gap that separated him from Rauner and conceded defeat. It wasn’t a typical concession speech, as Quinn never mentioned Rauner by name and avoided any hint of congratulation.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

A bleary-eyed, sobered Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday finally stepped up to the lectern and admitted what most people in Illinois already knew: He had failed in his bid for re-election…

“It is clear we do not have enough votes to win the election,” a forlorn-looking Quinn said in a brief statement to reporters at the Thompson Center.

Quinn promised to make the hand-off easy.

From Chicago Tribune:

Saying he wanted the transition to run “smoothly,” Quinn said it was important “for the people of our state to understand when we come together for an election and the election is conducted, the results come in and we go forward on behalf of the common good.”

After Quinn’s short concession speech, Rauner responded by thanking the governor. He appointed a transition team led by Lt. Gov.-elect Evelyn Sanguinetti.

From the Tribune:

Rauner, who stayed out of the public eye after claiming victory late Tuesday night, issued a statement thanking Quinn “for his many years of service to Illinois” and for “his commitment to making this a smooth transition.” 

Quinn said he still had work to do in his final two months as governor. He said he would work to pass a minimum wage increase before he leaves office early next year, the Tribune said, though some Democrats were skeptical about how realistic that goal would be.

Even after several news organizations projected the win for Rauner, Quinn said that waiting for all the votes to be counted before a concession was made was part of his respect for the democratic process. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that in the Chicago area, some polling sites had to remain open late due to long lines, a shortage of election judges and same-day registration. Quinn said the counting of those ballots could change the final results of the election.

Quinn said Nov. 5, from the Sun-Times:

“I think we should always respect those who waited, who persevered, to cast their ballot. Before calling any election it’s important to respect every single voter. That’s how I felt last night, and I feel the same way today,” he said, adding: “We respect the results. We respect what the voters did yesterday. I look forward to working with the new administration.” 

When he ultimately decided to step aside, not all votes had in fact been counted, but it looked increasingly unlikely any uncounted votes could change the outcome.

From the Tribune:

Quinn’s decision to concede was a bow to the long odds he faced in awaiting the counting of the final votes cast across the state. With some mail-in and provisional votes yet to be counted, the Associated Press’ unofficial tally showed Rauner with a 172,570-vote advantage over Quinn — 51 percent to 46 percent — with 99.5 percent of the state’s precincts reporting.

Quinn’s hesitancy to concede may have been borne out of his experience in the 2010 gubernatorial race. In that election, Quinn beat Republican candidate Bill Brady by only less than 1 percent of votes cast.