JB Pritzker while on the campaign trail in the area. (Photo by Michael Weaver)

CHICAGO – Democrat JB Pritzker defeated Republican Bruce Rauner in the Illinois Governor's race easily on Tuesday night by a projected 54 percent to 39 percent of the vote with 99 percent of the vote reported.

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Pritzker had an unofficial 2,356,991 votes to Rauner's 1,716,331 votes in the unofficial tallies.

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Following their victory in the Illinois gubernatorial election, JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton released the following excerpts from their election night speeches

“To the millions of working families that powered our victory today, from the bottom of my heart I thank you for your faith in Juliana and me,” said Governor-elect JB Pritzker. “We don’t need to be afraid of our history here in Illinois. Who we are is how we overcome our biggest challenges. We work to mend broken places, we light the journey from hill to hilltop and recognize that there is grace and courage and pride in the struggle to rise. And rise we will. We make no small plans for Illinois. We will strive for the highest graduation rate in the nation. We can become the biggest hub of entrepreneurship between the coasts.

"We will grow the diversity of our economy by growing jobs across the state, especially for communities that have been left out and left behind, because none of us succeeds unless we fight for all of us to succeed. We will bring fairness to our tax system and tackle our fiscal challenges. And we will become the leading protector of workers’ rights, civil rights and human rights in the nation. In 27 days, Illinois will celebrate our state’s 200th anniversary. Join me in beginning our third century with hope and optimism and living every day better for the 200 years we lived before.”

“I’ve crisscrossed this state with JB, and our eyes have been opened to the strength and the resiliency of the people who define what it means to be an Illinoisan — and tonight’s victory belongs to each of you,” said Lieutenant Governor-elect Juliana Stratton. “My heart is with the young people of our state, with the immigrant families, with the worried mothers looking for safe communities, with the silently suffering farmers, and people in communities of color that have been subjected to decades of disinvestment rooted in racism. To all of you who shared your powerful stories throughout this campaign, we not only hear you, we see you. You will not be forgotten and elevating your hopes for a better tomorrow will motivate us every single day. Together, we're going to bring out the best in one another and bring out the very best of our state.”?

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