Democrat J.B. Pritzker topples first-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in Illinois governor race
CHICAGO - Billionaire Democrat J.B. Pritzker soundly defeated first-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner Tuesday, who conceded his re-election bid less than an hour after the polls closed, giving his party near total control of Illinois' state government.
"Voting is an act of optimism that the levers of our Democracy still work," Pritzker told supporters moments after declaring victory. "You embody that optimism. You light the beacon fire on the hill of history that signals from one generation to another that these are the things that we stand and fight for."
In conceding defeat, Rauner called for unity after a grueling, bitter race in which the two candidates accused each other of criminal activity. They broke national campaign funding records by tapping their personal fortunes for hundreds of millions of dollars.
"This is a time for
