Gubernatorial Primaries Still Too Close To Call
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Feb 3, 2010 3:00PM
Settle in, folks, it's gonna be a while. We tracked the main races last night and here were are, the next morning, and one is still too close to call. The race for the Governor's mansion remains heated and while the Dems race is close, the GOP race is deadlocked and a recount seems inevitable.
For the Dems, here's how the latest numbers add up: with 11118 of 11215 precincts reporting (99 percent):
Quinn 451,702 50.4%
Hynes 444,500 49.6%
Quinn declared victory last night but Hynes has yet to concede.
As for the GOP, a recount seems much more likely. With the same number of precincts - 11118 of 11215 - reporting, the top of the GOP vote breaks down like so:
Brady 154,646 20.3%
Dillard 154,143 20.2%
McKenna 146,614 19.3%
Cook County Clerk David Orr alerted the media to the rules for a recount, which are (via the Tribune):
- If a losing margin is within 5 percent of the winner, the candidate can demand a "discovery recount."
- In a discovery recount, the losing candidate can petition the clerk's office to retabulate votes in up to 25 percent of the precincts of the candidates choice.
- If the discovery recount uncovers evidence of missed votes or disenfranchisement, the candidate can then opt to sue in circuit court for a full recount, a process Orr said can take months to complete.
- Filing for discovery recount is March 1.