Blue barrage: Could it be here to stay?
February 10, 2008
(Elgin Courier) — Even with no blue vs. red battles on any primary ballots, local Democrats proudly proclaimed victory over Republicans in the battle of voter turnout Tuesday.
Most point to the presidential contest between Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and Illinois native Hillary Rodham Clinton as the reason for an unprecedented number of Democrats at the polls -- nearly 2 million statewide, compared to about 1.1 million in 2004.
An almost certain byproduct of that surge was evident by votes in the primary for the expansive and GOP-dominated 14th Congressional District. Democratic congressional hopeful Bill Foster's campaign highlighted the large number of Democratic presidential ballots cast "in a district once considered deeply red."
"This is unprecedented for a district that historically has voted two-to-one Republican," spokesman Andrew Dupuy said after Foster's victory in the 14th District primary. "The winds of change are blowing in the 14th."
That sentiment also is supported by the national Democratic Congressional Central Committee's intention to back the primary winner as part of its Red to Blue campaign that targets opportunities to capture GOP seats.
Still, numbers from the Feb. 5 primary perhaps offer the greatest sign of the change talked about by Democrats near and far.
Overall in the 14th Congressional District, which stretches from Aurora to the Mississippi River, 75,201 voters cast Democratic ballots, while 77,762 people voted Republican.
In Aurora, Dems outpaced their GOP counterparts as both parties staged competitive 14th Congressional District races. Unofficial results from the Aurora Election Commission reported nearly 12,700 Democratic ballots pulled for president and almost 11,500 for Congress, both registering a 23 percent turnout.
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