On Thursday, the Associated Press projected that Pat Quinn (SFS ’71) will be elected to serve his first full term as governor of Illinois.

Quinn, who replaced scandal-ridden Governor Rod Blagojevich in the state’s highest office, beat Republican Bill Brady. Brady, a member of the state senate, has refused to concede the race until all of the ballots have been counted.

However, AP claims that the number of absentee ballots that are yet to be counted—approximately 19,000—is too little for Brady to overcome Quinn’s lead.

After taking over from Blagojevich, Quinn became quite unpopular for a number of questionable programs, including a prison-release program that involved a number of repeat offenders.

Some analysts did not expect Quinn to win the race, especially because Republican Representative Mark Kirk (LAW ’92) won the Senate seat that was being held by Blagojevich appointee Roland Burris.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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