Illinois voters elected Democrats to two of the state’s major offices Tuesday.

After 30 years of Republican control of the governorship, Illinois voters bucked tradition Tuesday and elected Democrat Rod Blagojevich. Democrat Lisa Madigan became the first woman ever elected Illinois attorney general when she defeated Republican Joe Birkett.

Blagojevich, Weinberg ’79, won the gubernatorial race with 52 percent of the vote to Republican Jim Ryan’s 45 percent.

Madigan won 50 percent of the vote to Birkett’s 47 percent.

“Illinois has voted for change,” Blagojevich said at his election-night headquarters. “It’s not easy to break a 30-year habit.”

In a victory speech to a warehouse full of people, Lieutenant Governor-elect Pat Quinn told supporters to expect “reform of state government from top to bottom.”

Blagojevich cited years of corruption on the part of Republican leaders, telling supporters, “After years of public mismanagement, it’s time to move forward.”

Ryan conceded the race to Blagojevich at 9:50 p.m. after trailing the entire night. He said he called to congratulate Blagojevich shortly beforehand.

“I told him he has a tough job ahead of him,” Ryan said. “I wish him success.”

In addition to garnering almost 80 percent of the vote in Chicago, Blagojevich won a number of votes in suburban Cook County — an area traditionally dominated by Republicans.

Blagojevich said he now will focus on improving education, raising the minimum wage and creating new jobs.

Anne Davis, president of the Illinois Education Association, told The Daily she welcomed Blagojevich’s emphasis on education, as well as his promises of smaller classrooms and more qualified teachers.

“I think we’ll have a true partner to sit down with us,” Davis said.

Blagojevich is the son of a Yugoslav immigrant who worked at A. Finkl & Sons, the steel plant in Lincoln Park that hosted Blagojevich’s election party.

Blagojevich previously served as the Fifth District congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was first elected in 1996.

In 1999, he traveled with the Rev. Jesse Jackson to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and helped broker a deal that brought the release of three captive U.S. soldiers.

Blagojevich also is the son-in-law of Chicago Ald. Richard Mell (33rd).

The gubernatorial and attorney general victories follow campaigns that were hotly contested and filled with controversy.

On Oct. 29, Jim Ryan’s campaign released a statement accusing Blagojevich of trying to connect his opponent with outgoing Gov. George Ryan, who declined to run for a second term last year amid an ongoing scandal linked to his 1991-1999 secretary of state administration.

The Jim Ryan campaign also accused Blagojevich of accepting $83,000 from the city of Chicago without disclosing how he earned the money, a claim the governor-elect has called unsubstantiated.

Ryan’s current term as attorney general will end early next year, when Madigan will take over.

Ryan previously served as state’s attorney for DuPage County and as chairman of the Governor’s Commission on Gangs. He said that although he lost the race, the state Republican Party will keep on kicking.

“The Republican Party will bounce back,” he said. “The Republican Party is more resilient than me or any of us.”

The Daily’s Evan Hessel and Matt Lopas contributed to this report.