This article originally appeared on watchdog.org.
Members of the media gathered at the Thompson Center Wednesday afternoon for a 3:30 pm press conference called by Governor Pat Quinn, during which he conceded the election, pointed out the importance of counting every vote and turned his focus to raising the minimum wage in Illinois.
???When we closed last night, many votes hadn???t been counted ??? And many people, as you know, waited hours to vote ?????? Quinn said. ???I think we always should respect those who waited, persevered to cast their ballot. And I think before calling any election it???s important to respect every single voter. That???s how I felt last night and I feel the same today.???
Quinn went on to say, while there were votes left to be counted, it was clear there would not be enough for him to win the election.
???But now the votes have been counted ??? but it???s clear that we do not have enough votes to win the election and therefore we respect the result, we respect what the voters did yesterday and I look forward to working with the new administration ??? with respect to the transition,??? he said.
He then turned his focus on to the advisory referendum to raise the minimum wage, which passed Tuesday.
???The one issue I was very pleased to see yesterday, voted on by the people loud and clear, was raising the minimum wage in our state,??? he said. ?????? It???s not enough for a mom, a dad, or anyone to raise a family on. And the people of Illinois, by more than two-thirds vote, voted in favor of raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour on Jan. 1 of next year. And I???m really looking forward to working with the legislature in the time I have left as governor to get that job done.???
