The 2014 election was projected to be a wave election, and it didn’t disappoint from early on. As the votes started to be reported, and the Virginia Senate race was neck-and-neck, it was pretty clear that it was going to be a long night for the Democrats, who fought so hard to gain that majority in the Senate the past couple elections.
The big election for Illinois was the governor’s election, with candidates vying for the right to try and take over one of the most troubled states in the country. The projections for the election went back and forth, some saying the incumbent and Democrat, Pat Quinn, would win narrowly, others saying Republican businessman, Bruce Rauner, would be victorious. As the night progressed, Illinois looked like it was staying true to its roots as Quinn was taking big margins in Chicago, and Rauner was sweeping the suburbs and rural parts of the state.
Rauner ended up being announced the winner at about 10:30 p.m. He took every county but Cook, which is one of the biggest Democratic strongholds in the United States, where the city of Chicago is located. Rauner became the first Republican to win the governor’s race in Illinois since 1998, when George Ryan won it.
With a margin of victory sitting somewhere between four and five percent, it was clear as crystal that the people in Illinois wanted a change. Rauner campaigned on the fact that he is not a politician, he is a businessman. He promises to bring term limits to the governor position and wants to fight the minimum wage increase. A millionaire businessman, Rauner spent most of his campaigning time talking about ending the machine politics in Illinois, and a new start which will be focused mainly on the financial status of Illinois, which can be described no other way than dire.
Quinn, who has not yet conceded the race, was the governor since 2009, when he took over for Rod Blagojevich, who was removed from the governor position after taking personal benefits from his role. In 2010, he beat Republican Bill Brady in a close election to retain his spot for another four years. He spent much of his time as governor focused on job creation and the school systems. The jobs that he was trying so hard to create just did not materialize and was a big reason that voters turned away from him.
In the 10th congressional district, where Libertyville resides, Republican Bob Dold beat incumbent Democrat Brad Schneider by 3.6%. It was a return to the position for Dold, as he was the representative for this very district from 2010-2012. In a close election, he lost to Schneider in 2012 but has spent the last two years rallying to get his seat back.
Dold was running on his bipartisanship and saying that he will work for both sides to compromise to get bills passed. Dold claimed that Schneider ran a partisan campaign and that he didn’t work and compromise to get things done.
This election proved to be a true wave election and swept in both Illinois Republicans with it. There will be a new direction to the way the things are run in Illinois.
