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An aging party

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Illinois

But to win a general election, a candidate first has to win a primary, and Illinois primary voters tend to be older and more conservative, while surveys have shown supporters of same-sex marriage tend to be younger, more liberal and less religious in their beliefs.

“The support for marriage equality among (people age) 35 and under, even 50 and under, is at tremendously high levels and these are the people that are going to keep voting from election to election,” said Bernard Cherkasov, the chief executive officer of Equality Illinois, a major advocacy group in support of same-sex marriage.

Last year, when Illinois Republicans helped select former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the GOP’s presidential nominee, fully 63 percent of the state’s Republican primary voters were age 50 and older with a like percentage describing themselves as conservatives. More than half, 56 percent, said they considered it at least somewhat important that a candidate shared their religious beliefs.

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 11:09 am

Comments

Illinois voters under 44 (and this is being generous because most 18 year olds don’t vote) have never voted in an election in this state where the republican candidate for president won the state in the general election which I think is a key problem. You look at the 4 Republicans running for Governor, they are as the Sun Times pointed out several months ago, all mid-late 50s white guys who remember the glory years of Reagan-Bush and use that as a template for their model of thinking and governance. Voters younger than that aside from the diehards, remember do not remember that and mostly remember the solid clinton economy the bush wars in iraq, the social issue challenges the party faces in Illinois and of course a list of other problems. that is the issue the party faces right now.

the party would have been much better off over the next 20-30 years jettisoning the tom cross’s and judy baar topinkas and rauners and dillards and bradys-the also rans, retreads never will bes and given younger pups with fresher legs and lungs some run. Folks who aren’t of the past and tied to the past and can speak to the state with a fresh message.

Comment by shore Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 11:22 am
Forget newspapers — the Koch Brothers should invest in anti-aging research.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 11:42 am
Shore, that age cutoff should be 42, not 44 - George H.W. Bush won IL in 1988, the last GOP candidate to win here.

Comment by cover Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 11:44 am
@shore - Why jettison JBT and Tom Cross if the failure to connect on social issues is a problem?

JBT may not be as fresh of a face as someone like Schock and Kinzinger but because she wasn’t a wacko on social issues I could vote for her happily in ‘06 when I found the Dem candidate hopelessly flawed. The way the current GOP trajectory is going that may very well be the only vote I cast for a Republican governor in my lifetime.

And as for Tom Cross, although I think he’s a joke on finances, at least you can point to his ssm vote and his medical marijuana support as issues showing a little more compassion culturally than the standard GOPer so at least he’s worthy of consideration.

But the GOP by and large has alienated so many people of late (not just gay rights supporters) they just put themselves in a huge hole where the thought of voting Republican is not even contemplated.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 11:48 am
What’s to discuss? The Republican Party is dying, and they flatly refuse to remain a viable party. I can appreciate that they believe they are “sticking to their principles” but they are grasping so tightly to principles out of the 1920s that it blinds them to the political realities of the 21st century.

Comment by Political Neophyte Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 11:58 am
–Last year, when Illinois Republicans helped select former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the GOP’s presidential nominee, fully 63 percent of the state’s Republican primary voters were age 50 and older–

Wow.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 12:37 pm
@wordslinger-Wow, indeed. Unfortunately, I happen to be in that demographic, and, except for gun control, I find myself outside of the party on most of the social issues. Being a liberal Republican is just as hard as being a conservative Democrat.

Comment by downstate commissioner Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 12:54 pm
I am on my “phone” today, (which has already given a few spelling errors I regret) so to be brief, age scares me, but what scares me more is the young GOP that follows with intolerance and purity as the example of what a party should be, and that teaching that will lead to this young GOPers looking for those qualities instead of looking to the Resgan Rule of 80%

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 12:58 pm
“Shore, that age cutoff should be 42, not 44 - George H.W. Bush won IL in 1988, the last GOP candidate to win here.” That was an interesting election and a harbinger of things to come for the Illinois GOP as Bush cruised nationally with 53.4 % of the vote but just squeaked by in Illinois - with 50.69% of the vote.

Comment by paddyrollingstone Thursday, Nov 7, 13 @ 3:10 pm