The Associated Press has called the Republican gubernatorial primary race for current Illinois governor Bruce Rauner, who defeated his conservative challenger Jeanne Ives in a tight contest tonight. Ives conceded to Rauner around 11:30 p.m., saying, “We fell just a bit short.”
In spite of the close loss, the Ives campaign put together a remarkable effort in the primary, challenging Rauner to a difficult campaign season despite his massive spending advantage. When the race was called, Ives lagged behind the sitting governor by a little over three percentage points.
Meanwhile, Erika Harold defeated Gary Grasso tonight for the GOP attorney-general nomination. Harold, who was crowned Miss America in 2003, will face Democrat Kwame Raoul in November.