Dan Rutherford spoke to the crowd gathered at The Wit hotel, 201 N. State St. shortly after President Barack Obama was projected to win Ohio.

“It’s not over until it’s over, but I think we all know what is going to happen here,” Rutherford said.

He praised the efforts of Romney supporters and thanked the attendees for helping “keep a good two-party system in the state of Illinois.”

He also acknowledged the importance of the Electoral College over the popular vote.

“Whatever the popular vote may be, the Electoral College is what we play for,” he said.

Rutherford said it is important to support the president if Obama is officially reelected.

“I’m going to work with him, and I hope that each and every one of us get behind the president of the United States to make this the best country on this planet,” he said.