Some good news from my little red corner of the world.....

[Tinksrival]

Just thought I'd share my local front page headlines:

DuPage County in a blue state?
More Democrats cast ballots in this election

For the first time in anyone's recollection, Democratic voters have outnumbered their GOP counterparts at DuPage County polls.

Nearly 55 percent of all voters pulled Democratic ticket ballots Tuesday, according to the DuPage County Election Commission data. More than 132,000 residents voted Democrat to the GOP's 109,132 voters. In all, 242,917 primary ballots were cast.

The highest Democratic percentage of primary voters in the county before this year was in 2004 when they made up 42 percent of the vote. The low point came in 1990 when only 11.5 percent voted Democratic. Presidential primary years routinely draw more Democratic voters to the polls than off-years, according to the data.

Bob Peickert, chairman of the Democratic organization Operation: Turn DuPage Blue, said his party has finally broken the Republican party's "stranglehold" on the county.

State Sen. Dan Cronin, an Elmhurst Republican and county GOP chairman, attributed the large number of Democratic voters to two things.

"The hometown native Illinoisan story with both Hillary (Clinton) and (Barack) Obama is persuasive to a lot of people," Cronin said. "And I know scores of Republicans who pulled Democratic ballots and voted for Hillary because they think she'll be a better candidate for the Republican nominee to face in November."

Peickert scoffed at Cronin's explanation.

"I find that really amusing that he knows that many Republicans that would have done that," Peickert said. "I don't think statistics support Cronin's excuse. It's certainly not because 30,000 Republicans got together and decided to vote for Hillary."

Cronin refused to label DuPage voters as strictly Republican.

"There is a healthy independent attitude or sentiment among DuPage County voters," he said. "I think this will be more significant if it happens in the fall."

Peickert said Tuesday's showing was not a fluke. He said voters are disenfranchised with the national Republican party as well as local GOP leaders

:rofl:

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=130109&src=1
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DuPage really is turning blue
Democrats' vote total exceeds Republicans' for the first time

February 7, 2008
By Paige Winfield Staff writer

For the first time in history, election judges handed out more Democratic than Republican ballots in DuPage County.

Tuesday's election results were more than just tinged with blue, after participation in the Democratic primary exceeded the GOP primary by 24,000 voters. Of the county's 549,621 registered voters, 20 percent selected Republican ballots while nearly one-fourth voted Democratic.



Total Democratic votes: 131,635

Barack Obama: 80,690

Hillary Clinton: 48,499

Total Republican votes: 108,582

John McCain: 57,090

Mitt Romney: 29,766

Mike Huckabee: 12,782

"It is fairly historic," said Rob Bisceglie, chairman of the DuPage County Democrat Central Committee. "When you look at the numbers, that is a pretty massive flip and I think it speaks volumes to what's happening in the county."

The Democratic turnout did represent a dramatic reversal of voting trends in DuPage County - long considered one of Illinois' few Republican strongholds.


http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/781425,6_1_NA07_TURNOUT_S1.article

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:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[hedda_foil]

1. I'm a DuPage Dem too and this is unbelievable!

Totally amazing!

[Tinksrival]

2. Hi neighbor!

It was really great to see those front pages. My Aunt and Uncle in Naperville are major repubs and she said they didn't vote. They ALWAYS vote.

I fight with her about Dick Durbin all the time. I love Senator Durbin!

Nice to "meet" ya hedda! :hi:

[Kittycat]

3. We were glad to read the headlines.

I'm just next door in Kendall county. We were amazed to get over 47% of the vote. That's completely unheard of here, and for those unaware - Kendall is part of IL-14 AKA Hastert Territory (Hopefully Foster going forward).

[Tinksrival]

4. Nice to "meet" you too, neighbor!

It's too bad John Laesch fell short. He and his new wife are so nice. I don't know anything about Foster. I figured with Hastert gone the DNC would find someone to force John out. Politics sucks sometimes, you know what I mean.

Well I hope your not stuck with the milkman. He's as creepy as Hastert.

We will be stuck with Biggert till she walks off into the sunset. She's 70 so it can't be that far off. I hope....

[karlrschneider]

5. I get into your airport now and then. Nice airport but full of wingnuts!

:eyes:

[grace0418]

6. Wow! That *is* amazing. My brother-in-law lives in Dupage county and every time

we drive out there from the city I feel like we've entered Bush Country (based on the bumper stickers).