WOOD RIVER – Bob Daiber, the Madison County Regional Superintendent of Schools, conceded defeat tonight in the race for the Democratic nomination for governor.
“I’m disappointed, but I’m not bitter,” Daiber told supporters at Donzo’s Bar & Grill in Wood River. “To a great degree, because we never had the resources to spread the word far and wide to people we didn’t have a chance to meet, our message often went unheard. I think that’s a shame, but that’s the way it is.”
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Daiber, the first Downstate Democrat to run for governor in 20 years, campaigned hard throughout, putting 65,000 miles on his Buick Lucerne, and visiting and speaking in 83 of the state’s 102 counties.
With 90 percent of precincts reporting, J.B. Pritzker leads with an insurmountable 529,343 votes. Daiber is in fifth place.
Daiber vowed to support Pritzker, and asked his supporters to do so too. “The reality is that our next governor is going to be a billionaire from Chicago,” he said. “But J.B. Pritzker wants to help regular people. Bruce Rauner’s only goal is to make himself and his billionaire buddies richer. J.B. is the one who’s going to try to help us, and I’m going to try to help him. I urge you to do the same.”
Daiber will complete his term as regional superintendent and then pursue other opportunities.
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