Republicans Kirk Dillard and Bill Brady are eyelash-close for governor with downstater Brady 503 votes ahead of Dillard. Under Illinois law no recount is mandatory but you have to ask a court to order one…and loser pays.

The good news for social conservatives is that the two are virtually identical in support for pro-life. And the close-running third-up, And McKenna takes the same position. The GOP “Unity Breakfast” this morning will be great fun.
On the Democratic side, Gov. Pat Quinn has edged out challenger Dan Hynes but it’s …

Republicans headed to a unity breakfast this morning with their governor nominee still in doubt. State Sens. Bill Brady of Bloomington and Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale were within 1,500 votes of each other with 99 percent of the unofficial vote counted this morning. Each had 20 percent of the tally in a six-way contest.

On the Democratic side, Gov. Pat Quinn declared himself the winner, even though Comptroller Dan Hynes had not conceded defeat. Hynes trailed by fewer than 6,000 votes as results trickled in.
More at the Tribune
UPDATE
Dillard will win remaining …

From The Examiner
The 10% across the board budget cut is  ”lazy”.  Proft went on to state, “we don’t have money to fund the developmentally disabled but we can buy a third airport, money for the third speed rail which an is boondoggle. Where we spend our money. All of the money we have increased general fund spending in last ten years by eight times of the rate of population growth. What do we have. Better schools? More efficient transportation systems? More robust economy? None of those things because money has …

But lots of other papers have gone for state Sen. KIRK DILLARD, R-Hinsdale, who is attached at the hip, campaign-wise, to former Gov. JIM EDGAR, for whom he was chief of staff years ago. But Dillard lost points among some for his part in a campaign ad for BARACK OBAMA during the presidential primary season.
State Sen. BILL BRADY of Bloomington, whose district includes part of Sangamon County, is one of the contenders who has criticized Dillard on that point.
I’m far from certain, but I still think that, in a low-turnout …

Digest from Blake D. Dvorak at Chicago Now
Governor’s Race

Quinn slams Hynes on Burr Oak, Hynes fights back.
Governor race focuses on ailing finances.
Discontent and anger motivate voters in Illinois.
Quinn calls Hynes’ actions callous, even ‘evil’.
Quinn dig at Hynes marks final nasty days.
Will Hynes fight back?
Quinn and Hynes: Playing for keeps.
Quinn, Hynes trade charges as election nears.
Quinn, Hynes escalate race along racial lines.
Dem. candidates spend day at black churches.
Democrats take governor race to church.
Quinn and Preckwinkle help get out the vote.
Crowded race awaits Illinois voters.
Finally, a primary night with a little suspense.
Internal Andrzejewski …

Edward Dillard, the father of Sen. Kirk Dillard, has died at the age of  82.    Our condolences to the Dillard family.

“Junior,” the Republican candidate for governor, Andy McKenna, Jr. didn’t show up to debate with the other contenders on WTTW last night week because…well…he didn’thave to. Invitations had gone out on the debate last November 3 but Andy Jr. couldn’t fit it in to his schedule although the others did. Andy Jr. skipped a downstate TV debate too.

The reason he doesn’t do debates is he doesn’t do well in them. This is because of a congenital condition. He was born terminally bland. So bland, in fact, that if …

Republican governor candidate Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale reported raising nearly $1.4 million over the time period — nearly half from loans — and began the year with nearly $370,000 in the bank.
Dillard reported more than $600,000 in loans, including $250,000 each from Thomas Patrick, a board member of an insurance and brokerage firm, and controversial conservative activist Jack Roeser. Dillard also reported $134,000 in loans from unsuccessful 2006 GOP governor candidate Ron Gidwitz, who also pumped in at least another $131,000 in cash and a paid mailing. Donating $150,000 …

As an old retired officer of a major grocery products company (Quaker Oats), I remember an everlastingly popular slogan from one of our competitors: “Ivory Soap—99 and 44/100ths percent pure. It floats!”
The story behind the slogan is this. In 1878, the company was producing just another kind of hand soap which it called…unoriginally… “White Soap.” Kind of catchy, huh? Well, it wasn’t. There were many kinds of white soap.

One day a factory hand left his big soap kettle bubbling while he attended to a very personal …

Please welcome Illinois State Senator and Republican Gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard, and Cook County Board spokesman Gene Mullins as they join Tom Roeser on Political Shootout this Sunday at 8PM on WLS AM-890.
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