State Rep. Dan Brady has won the Republican nomination for Illinois secretary of state.
Brady, a Bloomington-Normal Republican, defeated former federal prosecutor John Milhiser. Brady was leading with 78% of the vote with more than half of the votes counted statewide.
Brady, a former McLean County coroner, will face Alexi Giannoulias in the November general election. Giannoulias won the four-way Democratic race.
Brady watched election results come in Tuesday night at Rob Dob's in east Bloomington. He's the first Bloomington-Normal candidate to run for statewide office since Bill Brady's run for governor.
Milhiser was part of a slate of Republican candidates led by gubernatorial hopeful Richard Irvin that was soundly defeated Tuesday. He conceded late Tuesday.
"I think his wings were clipped because he was part of a slate," Brady said of Milhiser's campaign. "I wasn't recruited to this office. I wasn't part of a slate. I aspired for this office. I laid out my ideas, I laid out across the state of Illinois my work ethic, my experience working with Secretary White and his office on a number of issues."
Milhiser was a former federal prosecutor for central Illinois during the Trump administration. He staked his record as a crime fighter to say he would restore integrity to Illinois politics if elected to statewide office.
Thank you to my wife & daughters for their endless support. Also thank you to the volunteers & supporters. You spread our message of restoring faith in government. We came up short, but we will keep fighting to make IL better, to root out corruption, & to make IL safer. 1/4
— John Milhiser (@Milhiser4SOS) June 29, 2022
Congratulations to State Representative Dan Brady on winning the Republican nomination for Illinois Secretary of State! #twill pic.twitter.com/WObGUHDE5f
— IL Republican Party (@ILGOP) June 29, 2022
Brady said he plans to build on the relationships he has developed during his many years in state government to run in the general election against a well-funded opponent.
"I've had a track record of working with Democrats. And I'm going to continue that, and I'm going to ask them for their votes as well and work with them. They know Dan Brady -- many of my Democratic colleagues in the state house. And they know that Dan Brady is someone you can work with, and I think that we'll certainly expound upon that."
Brady is looking to become the first Republican Secretary of State since George Ryan. The last two Republicans to serve in that office, Ryan and Jim Edgar, went on to become governor.