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Question of the day

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Illinois

What was the biggest surprise in yesterday’s election?

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 3:01 am

Comments

Big win for Republicans in Maine Township and Park Ridge despite a visit for Dems by Obama, money from Madigan and strong effort from Schakowsky.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 7:12 am
O’Connor winning so big.
It was a huge loss for HDO.
Berwyn will never be the same.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 8:02 am
The overwhelming defeat of Glen Carbon’s mayor and entire city council by the challengers.

Comment by Diane Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 8:07 am
Frankfort Dictator Ray Rossi going down to challenger Jim Holland.

Comment by Chris Rhodes Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 8:42 am
Berwyn, without a doubt. Such an overwhelming sweep of offices by reformers is unprecedented.

The challenge to the future of the old guard - and especially HDO and its candidate Sen. Sandoval - is REAL.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 9:49 am
Quincy–big win for a good guy

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 10:14 am
Ken Zobrist winning Mayor of Grantfork by a 13 vote margin (and 60% of the vote).

Biggest disappointment: Tie: East St. Louis City Council goes to the Officer slate and Bill Shaw winning re-election as mayor of Dolton.

Comment by Ralph Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 11:03 am
Peoria Journal Star being totally thumped on all races in the city election. Too bad

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 11:46 am
Biggest losers last night?

Absolutely the HDO and Vic Reyes - they had their asses handed to them in embarrassing fashion.

Guess HDO doesn’t have the field generals it used to, they’ve been losing a lot lately.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 11:48 am
FYI

Boland did not have a heart attack aside of some vicious rumors spread by people that had no idea what the facts are and of course the political forces who want that depseratly to happen.

Thats hitting so far below the belt, its even dirty for Illinois politics!

Mike is doing well was hospitalized for tests and will be released today

Comment by PrairieStateDem Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 11:48 am
south surbs…bloom township loss by dems even after visit by obama. one shaw getting trounced as bad as he did, was really the shock. the other baerly winning.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 12:17 pm
How about a huge 70% re-election victory for Evanston 2nd Ward Alderman Lionel Jean Baptiste.

He ran as a right in candidate.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 1:21 pm
That’s “write-in.”

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 1:22 pm
I think the biggest surprise is the number of incumbents — Dem and GOP — who lost power across the state, and the number of close races even where the incumbent won.

I leave it to Rich and other pundits to make the call, but if the anti-incumbent vote does represent a trend, it doesn’t bode well for G-Rod and may not be a good sign for Topinka.

It may also represent less an anti-incumbent sentiment than a battle of vision v. substance. Incumbents tend to talk more about brick and mortar achievements and challengers about vision and philosophy, and it may be in this Obama era that folks are craving vision. That would certainly explain the upset in Rockford and Urbana.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 2:00 pm
Aurora hands down. Tom Cross and Dennis Hastert can’t even elect someone they invested tens of thousands in and staffed in the biggest city in their own district. Cross has some serious egg on his face. I think he made a lot of enemies in Aurora (of both political persuasions). 60-40% is a rout.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 2:02 pm
I don’t think that T.C. or Denny need to be embarrassed by the results in Aurora. In case your clueless, Aurora is big Democrat town. Richard Irvin did not win, but he brought out important issues that need to be addressed. It is the Republicans who funneled money and efforts to Weisner who need to be gotten rid, especially the ones in Republican leadership roles.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 2:29 pm
in a small local election, not presidential, aurora is split at best 50/50 maybe weighing more republican than democrat. with triple the turnout in DuPage (GOP stronghold) there were more self identified repubs voting yesterday than dems. the fact is weisner got more repubs to vote for him than irvin. that’s why he won.

the only precincts irvin won were democratic precincts that were african american.

face it, it was a drubbing !

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 2:35 pm
This was a big win AGAINST INCUMBENTS
AND
INDEPENDENTS.

People are also fed up with Property Taxes.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 3:00 pm
Loss for organized labor, which threw its backing behind Pat O’Brien for Mayor of Moline. O’Brien also had support from Lane Evans and Denny Jacobs, plus a long list of other Dems.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 4:43 pm
That I lost

(Township School Trustee)

Comment by Brian Cross Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 5:54 pm
i love to see the hdo people already smearing munoz in preparation for his challenge to sandoval. sandoval is one of the most arrogant and ignorant legislators ive ever seen. he has a smugness about his as if he thinks he has that seat for life. he treats people like theyre cattlr. i would vote for munoz before sandoval no matter what munoz has in his background. sandoval can then go back to the people he disrespected and beg for scraps. i really cant wait to see it.

go munoz!! goodbye hdo!!

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 10:10 pm
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 8:04 am
So that’s the scare line that HDO is going to use: Vote for our fat bastard or lose a Latino seat.

Why don’t you people grow up and run a mature and just campaign and compare records of accomplishments?

When you run a smear campaign like the use of the “cocaine and gangbanger” flyer in Berwyn, you insult the community’s intelligence. (And it obviously doesn’t work because they kicked your asses).

If your candidate disrespects the community that much, he doesn’t deserve to be in office.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 1:38 pm
HDO was a negative for Woodward BUT Ricky Munoz’s help was minimal.
It was the white vote that won it and the reform vote.
Munoz is a left of center politician whom time forgot. His ward is an overcrowded sewer that he does very little for.
Berwyn is becoming more middle class and was fed up with the likes of Marzullo.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 3:18 pm
Hispanics don’t come out and vote and did not in Berwyn.

Some good independent Hispanics did a great job in electing Alderman Ramos.

Alderman Ricardo Munoz of Chicago did not have an impact in Berwyn.
All smoke and mirrors coming in too late in the game.

Sandoval will still have the money and people but he is not well liked.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 3:25 pm
I am surprised that the HDO idiots even can post on a Blog or is this Gregg Goldsner or Armado Saleh.

Sandoval a reformer LOL

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 9:57 pm
Kane county Democratic Chairman Mark Guethle was a huge loser in his race for mayor of North Aurora. Despite raising a whopping $45,000 primarily from labor unions, having appearances from Dick Durbin (who had to look at map to get to Kane County, Pat Quinn,and Chapa La Vie and a letter from Obama. Guethle only garnered 39.1% of the vote…

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 11:04 pm
The loss margin by Richard Irvin was a surprise. His campaign was outstanding for more than a year or so until sometime this winter when things started falling apart. The campaign imploded after the primary and I think it had more to do with Irvin’s inexperience as a candidate since it appeared he was micromanaging the campaign and not listening to advisors.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 29, 05 @ 11:54 pm