THOMPSON CENTER — Gov. Pat Quinn conceded his race for re-election to Republican challenger Bruce Rauner Wednesday.
After insisting he wanted all votes counted Tuesday night, Quinn said that, even with returns still coming in Wednesday afternoon, "It's clear we don't have enough votes to win the election."
Quinn made the announcement in a press briefing room at the Thompson Center. He did not field any questions from reporters.
But he also said he would fight to hike the minimum wage before he left office in January. Increasing the wage from $8.25 was one of the central themes of his campaign.
Quinn also committed to a smooth transition period and said he was putting his chief of staff in charge of the assignment.
Rauner issued a statement saying: "I thank Gov. 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."
The announcement clears the way for Rauner's inauguration in January.
The latest election figures had Rauner with 50.7 percent of the statewide vote, Quinn with 45.8 percent, with more than 150,000 votes separating them.
