Brady Can't Win

Bill Brady has every right to wait until every vote is counted, but he should probably stop those transition team meetings he’s been holding the last three weeks. Because even after every vote is counted, he’s not going to become governor of Illinois.

 “We are confident there are enough ballots out there to win,” Brady said this morning at a press conference in Bloomington. His campaign released this statement:

As I said last night, I have a penchant for close elections.
 
Having been through this process before, I know the importance of making sure every voice is heard, and every vote is counted. I believe we will win.  Our campaign continues to wait for the results from local election officials.
 
The people of Illinois cast 3.6 million votes in this election.  As of right now, there is a difference of less than one vote per precinct.  We must allow election authorities to do their job as we wait for official results, which are then certified by the State Board of Elections.
 
In addition to the ballots cast in the precincts, absentee and military ballots remain to be counted, and I believe we will win

 Brady is right that there are enough ballots out there. But he’s wrong if he thinks they’ll help him win.

This afternoon, Brady trails Quinn by roughly 16,000. According to the Chicago Board of Election, there are still about 11,000 uncounted absentee ballots in the city, along with another 11,000 provisional ballots whose eligibility has yet to be determined. That’s 22,000 votes. Chicago went 3-1 for Quinn, so counting those ballots would increase the governor’s margin by another 11,000 votes. According to the MSNBC website, every other county in the state has reported 100% of its totals.

"The ballots left to be counted appear mostly to come from Cook County, where the Governor held a large margin over Senator Brady," said Quinn spokeswoman Mica Matsoff.  "We expect to hold our lead, and may increase it. We do not see a path to victory for Bill Brady."

"Brady is pinning his hopes on uncounted military ballot, but according to state Rep. Dan Brady, there are only 2,000 out there. And, as Capitol Fax’s Rich Miller points out, Quinn has a reputation as friend of Illinois’s servicemen:

Quinn has made it a regular practice to see the troops off to Iraq and Afghanistan. He also, of course, attends their funerals and/or wakes. He’s visited both countries and spent time with Illinois troops. This is not your usual Democrat, and the military votes might reflect that.

 Brady can keep counting, but he’s not going to squeak through by 193 votes this time.

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