A shifting political landscape?

A shifting political landscape?
New group aims to cater to DuPage's left-leaning voters

   May 6, 2007 Naperville Sun
   By Paige Winfield Staff Writer

   The morning after Election Day 2008, Democrats in DuPage say their
chances of waking up to a sea of blue are better than ever. They are
hoping to re-color the county's Republican-dominated political landscape
with a new campaign called "Operation: Turn DuPage Blue" - the hue that has
traditionally distinguished Democrats from their "red" Republican
counterparts. Organizers kicked off the initiative in March, when they
marched in Elmhurst's St. Patrick's Day parade and chanted "go green, go
blue." After Democrat Bob Peickert lost his bid for a seat on the DuPage
County Board to Republican Don Puchalski last November, he and other party
leaders gathered to look ahead to next year's elections. Long used to
swimming against the tide of Republican domination, DuPage Democrats
decided a new campaign will boost what they say is a trend of escalating
Democratic sentiment in the county. Peickert, who also managed Joe
Vosicky's campaign for the 46th District in the Illinois
House, says that DuPage's "one-party system" is on its way out.
"Numbers have clearly shown that DuPage is not the Republican stronghold it
was 10 or 20 years ago," he said. Democratic gains

Peickert points to a recent outcropping of Democratic wins in DuPage,
starting with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's 64 percent victory countywide. Last
year, a majority of DuPage residents sided with Secretary of State Jesse
White, State Comptroller Dan Hynes and Attorney General Lisa Madigan - who
landed a solid 65 percent of the vote. Four years earlier, White had been
the only statewide elected official to carry the county. And every
Democratic candidate in DuPage received at least 37 percent of the vote
last year, exceeding by two points the most successful Democratic candidate
in 1998. That candidate was Susan Hynes, who garnered 35 percent of the
votes in her race for the 13th U.S. Congressional District. "You had all
kinds of people doing extremely well in DuPage County as Democrats, and I
think it's showing Democrats are on the move," said Gene Tenner,
communications director for the DuPage County Democratic Party. "We had so
many people within a few percentage
points of winning their elections so now's the time."

At least in terms of voter registration, Democrats do seem to be inching up
while Republicans have seen something of a fall back over the last 10
years. In 1997, 39 percent of voters were registered as Republicans and
14 percent were registered as Democrats. After the February primary this
year, the breakdown was 33 percent registered Republicans and 17 percent
Democrats. Analysts agree that those numbers and the recent Democratic
victories reflect the national souring of attitudes against the Bush
administration and Republicans by extension. But advancement of Democrats
in DuPage may be more than just a temporary shift, they say. The county
has entered a mature, developed phase, with population growth tapering off
over the past few years. Now, more DuPage residents are moving westward,
out of the county - an expansion that James Nowlan, a senior fellow at
University of Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs,
compares to a tree trunk. "You can think of
the Chicago metro area like the concentric rings of a tree," Nowlan said.
"Every five years a new ring grows which is a newly populated area."
DuPage residents moving west are more inclined to be conservative
Republicans, while left-leaning Cook County residents are moving into the
county to fill their place, Nowlan said. "Many residents are moving to
the south and southwest when they hit retirement age, and those voters tend
to be more Republican than Democrat," he said. "And the people from the
inner rings in the metro area are moving into the county. Changing
demographics

Many Cook County residents moving into DuPage are Hispanics -- who tend to
vote Democratic. Since 1997, the county's Hispanic population has doubled
to about 12 percent of the total population. "The percentage of minority
residents has increased, and that is a significant factor," Nowlan said.
"DuPage County is a mix of people, and the mix is changing to include more
persons who tend to vote Democratic." Members of Turn DuPage Blue and the
DuPage County Democratic Party distinguish the two organizations as
separate, but say they are focusing on a common goal: recruiting more
precinct committeemen to head the Democratic charge. Last November, 620
of the county's 750 precincts lacked Democratic committeemen, while nearly
all of the Republican slots were filled. "We thought that was a big
factor in why we came close but didn't win," Peickert said. Republicans
regroup

The DuPage County Republican Party is also gearing up to make sure the
political map is solidly red next election. As newly elected chairman,
State Sen. Dan Cronin of Lombard said the party is planning to keep its
headquarters in Wheaton, but move to a location that is more visible and
conducive to running campaigns. "We just need to re-energize the party
apparatus," Cronin said. "We need to strengthen the Republican precinct
committeemen." Cronin says DuPage Republicans are not necessarily "George
Bush Republicans," but are distinctive in their sophistication and emphasis
on free enterprise. "DuPage County has a unique breed of Republicans,"
Cronin said. "We have an independent streak out here." Nowlan agrees that
despite DuPage's sturdy Republican reputation, the county's typically
highly educated voter does not have a fierce party allegiance. "I think
DuPage is less Republican and more independent than people give it credit
for," Nowlan said. "(The county's)
independents and independent Republicans are indeed more open-minded
about voting for Democrats than rock-ribbed Republicans are." Voting for
individual candidates instead of the party they represent is a trend former
U.S. Rep. Harris Fawell has observed since he entered the Illinois Senate
in 1963. Before the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal expanded
popular mistrust of government in the 1970s, straight ticket voting was
popular. In Illinois, the General Assembly abolished straight ticket voting
ten years ago. "Not many people now go out to vote straight Democrat or
straight Republican," said Fawell, who represented the 13th Congressional
District for 14 years and is now retired. "Those who do vote will be more
interested in the person." Certainly, it is trendy for educated voters -
like those in DuPage - to identify themselves as independent regardless of
whether they actually vote for candidates in different parties. But as
the county's population
continues to be in flux, county residents should not think they are
exempt from the battle between red and blue that seems to be only
intensifying across the nation. Democrats are fighting for foothold, and
Nowlan thinks they will not be shaken anytime soon. "I think you will see
a continuation of the trend because of the changing demographic mix that is
DuPage County."

Contact Paige Winfield at pwinfield@scn1.com or
630-416-5275.

Return to Press Archive

Return to home page of Democratic Party of DuPage County

Last updated January 24, 2007
maintained by MauryGoodman, webmaster