Democrats in the northwest suburbs say the number of voters who took Democratic ballots Tuesday is a sign that traditional Republican dominance may be on the wane.
In the new 57th House District, which runs from Northbrook to Des Plaines, 6,497 voters cast a ballot either for Democratic winner Elaine Nekritz or her primary opponent. On the Republican side, 4,927 voted either for Republican winner Mary Childers or her opponent.
That was a “very pleasant surprise,” said Nekritz, a Northfield Township Democratic Committeeman.
“We see that every election, the Democratic Party is making gains in the north and the northwest suburbs,” Nekritz said.
In the nearby 65th House District, state Rep. Rosemary Mulligan (R-Des Plaines) said more voters took Democratic ballots than some might have expected. But Mulligan said she thought many independent voters simply may have wanted to have a say in the high-profile Democratic races for governor and attorney general.
Her opponent, Barbara Jones of Park Ridge, said she sees an opening. “It’s going to be a different race this time,” Jones said. “It’s exciting.”
More Top Picks Best Reading Lamps For Seniors
Whoever has the edge, state party leaders probably will target northwest suburban races as they battle to control the legislature.
Paul Green, director of the Roosevelt University School of Policy Studies, said he expects more hotly contested races in the northwest suburbs than in any other area of the state.
“A good deal of the action–and a great deal of the money–will be in [the northwest] area,” Green said.
A major battlefield, once again, will be the 27th Senate District, where state Sen. Wendell Jones will face Democrat Michael Minton, a lawyer.
On Tuesday, Jones defeated Rolling Meadows Mayor Thomas Menzel, 55 percent to 45 percent, with 99 percent of precincts counted.
Jones’ close win over Democrat Sue Walton, by 948 votes out of 66,000 cast, in 2000 set a record for spending, with the candidates together running through more than $1.4 million.
Menzel said Jones will have good organizational help in November, but he added, “Every time he’s run–in Sue Walton’s race and in mine–he’s had to come up with an awful lot of money to win. . . . Where does that string run out?”
In one of Tuesday’s tightest contests, the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District got permission to raise its tax rate with a cushion of only 12 votes out of 2,040 counted, according to unofficial results. Fire Chief Hank Clemmensen hopes the extra $250,000 or so a year will allow him to buy new equipment, close a deficit and raise salaries.
“It’s difficult to get the new people to come in and retain the people we have if you can go to the town next door and get an extra $10,000,” he said.
Of the 45 fire-related tax referendums in the six-county area, voters approved 37.
And after failing four times since 1987 to raise taxes for a building expansion, the Mt. Prospect Public Library finally tasted success, persuading voters to foot the $20.5 million bill that will add a second floor to the library, doubling its space.