Illinois state Sen. Bill Brady announced Wednesday that he will again run for the Prairie State's top job in 2014, four years after he lost one of the closest races for governor in the nation with a margin of less than 1 percent of the vote out of more than 3.6 million cast.
In most situations in which a candidate has lost a close race, they can easily command a second nomination for the same office. For example, Rudy Giuliani lost New York's mayoralty in 1989 but won in '93.
But this is not the case with Brady. Many in the party blame an inept campaign, his blistering comments about Cook County, and his close identification with social issues such as abortion for the defeat in a race Republicans feel they should have won.
Brady will face spirited competition in the March 2014 primary from state Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Chicago venture capitalist Bruce Rauner, and state Sen. Kirk Dillard, who lost the 2010 primary to Brady by less than 200 votes.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn has not said whether he will run but state Attorney General Lisa Madigan and former White House Chief of Staff William Daley have signaled they will run regardless of what Quinn does.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.
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