With county-level party conventions over and local party leaders elected, media have been surveying the local political landscape for the coming year. And the Democratic prospects look good.
Much has been made over Bill Foster’s impressive victory in the formerly conservative 14th Congressional District. But the GOP also appears to be in decline elsewhere. For instance, in McHenry County, the Democrats have been greatly strengthened by population growth and enthusiasm over the presidential primary. The Chicago Tribune reports:
Not only are more Democrats filing to run for local offices, but for the first time in the memory of Republican County Clerk Kathy Schultz, more county residents voted in the Democratic primary last month than in the Republican.
Meanwhile, Dems have been slowly chipping away at the once mighty GOP establishment in far north Lake Conty. According to the Daily Herald, local GOP members are nervous about losing their 26th District state Senate seat and are aiming to reverse previous losses in county positions:
Republican Michael Oster, a physician, is challenging first-term incumbent Richard Keller, also a physician, for the coroner’s job. The office is one of several countywide posts Democrats have seized in recent years as they’ve slowly eroded the Republican Party’s power base in Lake County.
Stories like these are great news for Illinois Democrats. What remains to be seen is how county-level Dems will translate the possibly fleeting enthusiasm over the presidential race into long-lasting political involvement.
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