Republican state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington on Tuesday conceded the election for Illinois Secretary of State to Democrat Alexi Giannoulias.
“I’ve always had wins in the political arena. This is my first loss. But as the saying goes, success is never final, and failure is never fatal,” Brady said during his concession speech.
Despite the loss, the atmosphere at Brady’s election night party at Rob Dob’s Restaurant and Bar in Bloomington was celebratory of a hard-fought campaign.
“If hard work still counts for anything in this country, then we know who really won," said Campaign Chair Millicent Roth.
Brady, who has served in the Illinois House since 2000, announced his statewide candidacy in November 2021.
Brady took the GOP primary by a landslide over his party’s chosen candidate, former U.S. attorney John Milhiser, and raised nearly $250,000 in campaign funding.
The Giannoulias campaign raised 10 times the funds of the Brady campaign.
This was Brady’s first run for statewide office, and the loss could possibly be the end of his decades-long career in elected office. He was previously the McLean County coroner and is still a funeral home director professionally.
“I don’t know what the next chapter is exactly, but I do know one thing: that as long as I can help other people, that’s what makes me happy, and I’ll do it the best I possibly can,” Brady said.
Brady was trying to become the first McLean County resident to win a statewide race since 1962, when Robert Underwood was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court. There are currently no Republicans in statewide office.
