Ives Concedes, Calls Rauner 'Despicable' In Concession Speech

WHEATON, IL — After a close race that had the Rep. Jeanne Ives campaign eyeing victory, Ives lost to incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner by a slim margin Tuesday night. Throughout the evening, Ives had inched ever closer to Rauner, and was within 3 percentage points when Rauner was declared the winner.

The announcement of Ives's defeat came just after DuPage County election results were delayed due to technical problems, something the Ives campaign initially said delayed the Republican gubernatorial results.

When Ives announced her defeat, the crowd of supporters who packed Abbington Banquets in Glen Ellyn let out a collective gasp.

Ives began her concession speech in a manner not dissimilar from that which voters have come to expect: she called Rauner "despicable." Ives went on to slam "establishment politicians" and to praise her staff for what she referred to as her "grassroots campaign."

Few had initially expected Ives, who is unapologetically conservative, to garner the support that she's gotten, let alone come so close to Rauner in the final hours of the primary election.

From day one, the fiercely conservative Ives and Governor Rauner promised to be a no holds barred battle. From Rauner announcing his candidacy in an ad in which he rode a motorcycle through Illinois, to Ives inciting accusations of homophobia and racism with an incendiary "Thank you, Bruce Rauner" campaign ad, these two GOP candidates have shown they weren't planning on pulling any punches.

Just ahead of Tuesday's primary, Ives's campaign claimed it was within "striking distance" of Rauner for the GOP nomination.

Exit polls Tuesday show low GOP voter turnout — a factor Ives told ABC Chicago works in her favor. "We're gonna have an upset today, we're gonna take out this guy who thought he could buy the Republican Party with his checkbook," she told reporters at her Wheaton polling place.

Has Ives's conservatism given her the edge with far-right voters that some say Rauner has alienated? Patch will be live at the Ives campaign open house in Glen Ellyn and will update you with results as they come in.

RESULTS

Rauner: 51.6%

Ives: 48.4%

On the eve of the gubernatorial primary election, GOP candidate Jeanne Ives held a press conference slamming incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner as a "disgrace" and alleging he is "in cahoots" with J.B. Pritzker, Democratic candidate for governor. Her response comes after the Democratic Governors Association launched a 30-second ad slamming Ives as "too conservative for Illinois."

Rauner's campaign responded to the ad by calling Ives "Mike Madigan's favorite Republican" and suggested that Democrats teamed up with Ives "because they know they can't beat Gov. Rauner in November," Politico reported.

In her press conference, Ives called that accusation "the stuff of Area 51 conspiracy theorists." Ives, who proudly touts her far-right conservative positions, further struck back at Rauner, saying "Bruce Rauner doesn’t suffer from the possession of dignity, self-respect or honor."

After the DGA ad hit airwaves, Ives's campaign responded with an ad of their own. She said that ad is effective in "pointing out the truth that, in fact, it is Rauner and the DGA who share the same policy positions on abortion, sanctuary state, Chicago bailouts and the like."

Ives, who represents the 42nd Congressional District of Illinois in the Springfield House of Representatives, received a wave of support from conservatives after Bruce Rauner's controversial decision to sign HB 40 into law. The law keeps abortion legal in Illinois in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned.

HB-40 also permits women to use Medicaid coverage to pay for their abortions.

Throughout her campaign, Ives has called out Rauner for what she sees as his lack of conservatism. Her campaign drew ire from Illinois Republicans after it launched what many called "racist" and "homophobic."

>>>Photo credit: Jeanne Ives on Primary Election Night (Lisa Farver/Patch)