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player ready...A number of local residents hope to play an official role in selecting the next president.
There are nine area residents vying to be representatives at the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer.
Rebecca Davies of La Grange, seeking to be a delegate for Democrat Bernie Sanders, said she would need to go shopping before heading to Philadelphia for the Democratic convention.
“I would have to get a funny hat,” Davies said of the eye-catching headgear many delegates don.
Davies is one of nine area residents seeking to be convention delegates. Joining Davies on the ballot will be:
* Ian Brenson of La Grange, a delegate for Republican Jeb Bush
* Joseph Enright, of La Grange Park, a delegate for O’Malley
* Nathaniel Harris of Western Springs, a delegate for Sanders
* James Kales of La Grange Park, a delegate for Republican Carly Fiorina
* Matthew LaFond of Western Springs, a delegate for Democrat Martin O’Malley
* Scott McPherson of La Grange, also a delegate for Bush
* Kathryn Meyer of La Grange, a delegate for Republican Chris Christie
* John Pappas of La Grange, a delegate for Republican Rand Paul
While the presidential candidates names will appear at the top of the respective party ballots, voters in Illinois directly elect delegates to the convention by congressional district. The delegates names appear with the candidate they support shown in parenthesis after their names.
Kales, the CEO of Aspire, which supports individuals with disabilities, predicted that as the primaries begin, people will start looking at issues and not showmen.
“I think [Donald] Trump is a fantastic entertainer. But eventually people are to going to elect a leader not an entertainer,” Kales said. “Carly Fiorina is the most qualified person in either race. She was a CEO of the one of the largest companies in the world. There are a lot of political candidates and an entertainer, but there is only really dynamic leader.”
Kales said the Fiorina campaign reached out to him, an early supporter of the candidate, about the possibility of him being a delegate.
Brenson is going through the delegate process for the third time. He ran as an alternate in Mitt Romney’s unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination in 2008. He then was an Illinois delegate for Romney when he earned the GOP’s nomination in 2012, For this election, he is supporting Jeb Bush.
“He is a very thoughtful candidate,” Brenson said of Bush, who he has met a few times. “He is not going to elbow his way to the front of a debate. He is going to wait for gaps.”
Brenson said he has always liked the Bush family and was a strong supporter of President George W. Bush. He said there are several candidates on the Republican side that he could back, if they earned the party nomination.
Pappas hasn’t been involved with helping a candidate since assisting with La Grange resident George Burditt with his U.S. Senate campaign in 1974. This year he is supporting Rand Paul.
“I looked to the next election cycle a few years ago and I grew tired of the divisive nature of politics,” Pappas said. “I was looking for someone who was more a uniter, who was less subjected to interest groups, who would appeal across party lines.”
Pappas said there is always talk of delegates having the right to change their mind and vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention, but added that wouldn’t happen with him.
“My own take is that you go to the convention as a representative of someone to whom you’ve pledged your support,” Pappas said. “Your word is your bond.”
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Nathaniel Harris is looking to learn more about the delegate process as he goes through the Illinois campaign to be a delegate for Bernie Sanders. A recent graduate of Loyola Law School, he has been working for the Illinois Senate Democrats for seven months. Harris was happy to attend a rally in Chicago before Christmas where Sanders spoke.
“I think he speaks to the middle class,” Harris said. “He realizes that there is income inequality.”
Harris said he spent several days going to area train stations to get signatures for Sanders to get on the Illinois ballot. He said there was a lot of support for the candidate, but also some “no way” comments.
“People either love him or hate him,” Harris said of Sanders.
Davies, another Sanders delegate candidate, said she does a lot of work for Progressive Democrats of America and was asked by the organization if she would be interested in being a delegate for Sanders.
“I think people are tired of the role billionaires play in government,” Davies said. “Bernie speaks more to people and people’s issues.”
Davies is in her third year as a member of the La Grange Elementary District 102 School Board,
“First the school board, then the presidency,” she jokes with family and friends about her political involvement.
She said if Clinton earns the Democratic nomination, she will work as hard for her as she would have for Sanders.
“If Clinton wins, I will work my butt off her,” Davies said. “I hope she will be there for Bernie if he wins, and I hope Bernie is there for her if she wins.”
Kevin Beese is a freelance writer for Pioneer Press.