A Champaign sweep
Wednesday, Nov 7, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Champaign County Board decided to create a county executive and hold the election in the off-year, perhaps because college students tend not to vote in off years. Champaign County Clerk Gordy Hultgren informs me this position was created by referendum. As you’ll recall from numerous posts over the last couple of days, however, area college students came out in droves. Oops…
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Democrats have swept all Champaign County [countywide] offices.
— Democrat Darlene Kloeppel won the race for the new position of county executive over current Republican Clerk Gordy Hulten.
— Democrat Aaron Ammons won the race for clerk with 54 percent of the vote over Republican Matt Grandone.
— Democrat Laurel Prussing won the race for treasurer with 54 percent of the vote over incumbent Republican John Farney.
— Democrat George Danos won the race for auditor with 56 percent of the vote over incumbent Republican Diane Michaels.
— And Democrat Dustin Heuerman won the race for sheriff with 55 percent of the vote over Republican Allen Jones.
JB Pritzker defeated Gov. Rauner in the county 55-38.
Champaign County Clerk Gordy Hulten (an old friend of this blog), won his last race four years ago 61-39. He lost for county executive yesterday 53-47. The Democrats didn’t even run candidates for county sheriff and treasurer four years ago.
- Southfarmllama - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:20 am:
This is what happens when people come out to vote.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:24 am:
Not much of a workforce, though, I here.
Looks like some university towns didn’t forget how badly they got tuned up with Rauner’s Social Darwinism.
- Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:25 am:
Republicans have to give the college students a reason to vote for them. We all know Rauner wasn’t interested in doing that so, as a Republican, you have to disavow him and vote in the best interest of your constituency. Guess the money was more important.
- Bobby T - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:29 am:
So when does the GOP fury at Rauner’s ham-fisted tenure start?
I mean, surely the GOP must be … well, a bit peeved at this blue wave stuff here in Illinois.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:31 am:
Champaign County Board - Too smart by half
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:31 am:
A sweep to be sure. Some old hands were chatting last night and couldn’t remember the last time Champaign County had a Dem Sheriff. It’s been at least 55 years.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:31 am:
Maybe putting more students in diapers on campuses will turn things around.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:32 am:
Bet we’ll see more voting machines in Urbana and Champaign to reduce the lines in 2020.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:34 am:
This is what Democracy Looks Like.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:36 am:
=Champaign County Board - Too smart by half=
Amen.
College kids can be a handful when concentrated in large numbers. But they also can be incredible at community service and have huge hearts.
College towns love the money the students bring but often don’t respect or appreciate the students because the are “outsiders” and in the locals minds shouldn’t have the right to make decisions. Not every college town citizen thinks like that but too many do. What happened in Champaign County was more evidence of the power of Karma.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:37 am:
The UIUC giving Obama an award for Ethics in Government recently energized the CU dems
- Downstate - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:38 am:
/s/s Very Cool! They can bring the magic of Urbana to the entire county.
There’s a reason that Carle Clinic is making a HUGE investment in Champaign, as opposed to Urbana.
- Cyprian - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:51 am:
The big surprise in Champaign County to me was Raoul drew more votes than Harold drew county wide.
- Stumpy's bunker - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:52 am:
Gosh, was it something Rauner said?
- Pius - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 9:56 am:
==The Champaign County Board decided to create a county executive and hold the election in the off-year==
The Champaign County Board did not make that decision. It came about by way of a citizen petition which was heavily backed by the Farm Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce, and probably a number of prominent Republicans. Disclosure: I am the current County Board Chair and a Democrat, and I think that having a County Executive without home rules is a bad idea.
- Pius - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 10:00 am:
I should add that the citizen petition automatically placed the referendum on the ballot and it, unfortunately, passed two years ago.
- Urban Girl - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 10:06 am:
Congrats to the Champaign County dems for the results of their hard work on the ground building up their party in particular Aaron Ammons!
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 10:14 am:
The next test: Can they engage in party-building to ensure that these gains are sustainable.
- hisgirlfriday - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 10:16 am:
It’s just too bad the Dem mapmakers had to waste such a dynamite Champaign County performance on a map that didn’t get Champaign County Dem Congressional representation.
I know IL is losing 1 or 2 seats after the next census so it will be tricky… but maybe try creating one solid Dem Metro East seat, and give some Peoria Dems in the Bustos district to a swingy Central IL seat that is more I-74 focused than I-72 focused? Cause it looks to my eyes that McLean County is more in line with the suburban-type Dem voter of the future than the Macon County rust belt Dem of the past. That’s what the top-line governor’s race numbers tell me where JB did better in McLean County with barely any county Dem infrastructure Dem downballot candidates to speak of than in a place like Macon County that has that.
Wonder if Andy Manar has any second thoughts because if he’d run for Congress this year he’d be headed to D.C. instead of Rodney Davis.
- Jibba - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 10:20 am:
The county executive idea was the local Republican establishment’s end run around the election process. They have been shut out of the majority on the county board since the 2000 redistricting, and have been livid about it. Understandable, since they had gerrymandered the Democrats out of power for decades prior and thought the county was their playground. Sad for them that a Dem won their new Executive position, which was their last hope to regain power for a while. Too bad we now need to pay this new executive along with all the other bills.
- kitty - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 10:51 am:
Jim Dey and the guests currently on WDWS are not happy, blaming Rauner’s inability to compromise as opposed to his unpopular policy proposals for which there wasn’t a mandate
- CEA - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 11:12 am:
The same 2016 ballot that led to the creation of the County Executive position also had a referendum on creating an elected County Board Chair position. The elected Chair referendum passed by a broad margin, but by statute the County Executive plan, which passed by a narrow margin, took precedence. I can only hope that the Champaign County Republicans, who concocted this hare-brained scheme in the first place, may now be willing to support a referendum to repeal it.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 11:20 am:
@Downstate
I think it probably has to do with Urbana’s lawsuit against Carle for tax evasion.
- Stuff Happens - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 11:21 am:
Oops. 11:20am was me.
- Jibba - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 11:29 am:
–Jim Dey and the guests currently on WDWS are not happy, blaming Rauner’s inability to compromise as opposed to his unpopular policy proposals for which there wasn’t a mandate===
Wow, talk about feigning ignorance. Was he not in the room when they wrote all those News Gazette editorials where they cheerled the Rauner administration for 4 years? Told him to stay strong, and that it was all worth it? Pluck the log from your own eye, dude.
- Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 11:33 am:
How did Democrats do in other counties? I heard there were D pickup opportunities in counties throughout the state.
- Downstate - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 11:40 am:
—-I think it probably has to do with Urbana’s lawsuit against Carle for tax evasion.
It’s an interesting approach to economic development to sue your community’s largest employer.
- jade - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 11:48 am:
Glad Champaign County could elect Democrats. In response to hisgirlfriday — McLean County Democrats DO now have infrastructure. We have a new county chair and have precinct committeemen in most precincts now (both elected & appointed). We are energized. We had 300 people doing poll watching, running & calling yesterday. But thanks for noticing that yes, McLean County, as well as Champaign County, would be better served by being connected to a southern collar district rather than tied in with southern IL. Rep. Bill Foster would be great to represent us! Or Rep. Cheri Bustos! We also elected several Dems to McLean County board.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 12:07 pm:
=It’s an interesting approach to economic development to sue your community’s largest employer.=
Right, because they are entitled to infrastructure and services for free?
I am sure you would be happy to help out./s
- I Miss Bentohs - Wednesday, Nov 7, 18 @ 1:40 pm:
“Bet we’ll see more voting machines in Urbana and Champaign to reduce the lines in 2020.”
I asked my nephew at UICU about this and he said he waited in line for 2 hours and it was great. At my confusion he said it turned into a rallying cry of they want to suppress us so we will show them. They treated it like a party which is what college kids do.
So, if this was done on purpose, I’d reconsider the strategy.
- k8w - Thursday, Nov 8, 18 @ 8:17 am:
” Democrat Aaron Ammons won the race for clerk with 54 percent of the vote over Republican Matt Grandone.”
Matt is currently Director of Training. He filed to run for County Clerk when Gordy filed for the new County Executive position.