Illinois election: Brady concedes Secretary of State race to Giannoulias

Bloomington Republican candidate Dan Brady has conceded to Alexi Giannoulias making the Democrat the first new Illinois Secretary of State since Jesse White was first elected in 1998, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday night.

With 1.3 million votes counted in Illinois, Giannoulias had garnered 58% of the total as of 9:45 p.m., according to unofficial results.

Giannoulias, 46, is a Democrat from Chicago. He served as Illinois Treasurer from 2007 to 2011. His work experience includes serving as senior director at BNY Mellon Wealth Management and founder of Annoula Ventures and adjunct professor at Northwestern University.

Brady, 61, is a funeral director and former McLean County Coroner and State Representative. He is married with two children.

White, at age 88 and after more than 20 years in the position, did not seek reelection.

2022 Illinois election results:All the midterm election results in one spot

The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office is responsible for numerous services, including: issuing state ID cards, vehicle license plates and titles, registering corporations, enforcing the Illinois Securities Act, administering the Organ/Tissue Donor Program; licensing drivers, and maintaining driver records.

The office also is a stepping stone as previous Secretaries of State George Ryan and Jim Edgar went on to become governors of Illinois.

A Rockford Register Star reporter since 2005, Jeff Kolkey writes about city government, politics, trends in the Rockford region and more. He is a Rockford resident, a married father of two and a White Sox fan. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Illinois election: Brady concedes Secretary of State to Giannoulias