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Pioneer Press,
Dec 03, 2004

Democrats Gaining in Lake County

BY JOHN ROSZKOWSKI
STAFF WRITER

Lake County politics have changed a lot since Lauren Beth Gash served as the only Democratic state legislator from Lake County in the mid-1990s.

"I can tell you when I first ran for state representative there was virtually no local (party) organization," said Gash, a former state representative from Highland Park who served in the Illinois House from 1993-2001. "The change between then and now is absolutely incredible."

For two years of her tenure in the House, Gash was the only Democratic state legislator from Lake County and Republicans controlled all eight countywide offices and both congressional seats.

Steady gains

But Democrats have made steady inroads in the county in the past eight years. They now control five of the county's 12 state legislature seats, two countywide offices and one of two congressional seats with Democrat Melissa Bean's election in the 8th Congressional District in November.

Heartened by their recent successes, Democrats are already contemplating a probable election challenge to popular Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park in the 10th Congressional District in 2006.

Political observers and party officials cite a variety of explanations for Democratic gains in Lake County in the past decade. Changing demographics coupled with Republican troubles at the state level have helped Democrats gain a foothold in the once solidly Republican suburban county.

Jim Marquardt, a professor of politics at Lake Forest College, said Lake County may reflect a larger statewide trend of Illinois becoming more Democratic in the last few years, bucking a national trend.
"You can see that reflected in the governor's race two years ago when (Rod) Blagojevich was elected the first Democratic governor in Illinois in almost 30 years," he said.

Marquardt said the Republican Party in Illinois has been "mired in a lot of controversy," including the drivers license scandal and indictment of former Gov. George Ryan, which has hurt the party's image statewide. Meanwhile, suburban counties such as Lake have seen an influx of new voters including a lot of new immigrants and Hispanics, who in Illinois have tended to vote more Democratic, Marquardt said.

"I think it reflects demographic changes in our region, more diverse ethnic and racial makeup, and I think that typically benefits Democrats," he said.

New residents

State Rep. Bob Churchill, a Lake Villa Republican who won a hotly contested race for re-election in the 62nd House District last month, said he believes Lake County is "still basically a Republican county." However, he said Lake County has seen an influx of new residents.

"There has been a change of demographic patterns as you have people moving from the inner suburbs to the outer suburbs who have brought with them the Democratic politics of their families," he said. "These people tend to be more Democratic but are not partisan. It's crucial we identify these people and educate them why the Republican Party is the better party."

Republicans still control six of the eight elected offices in Lake County, 17 of the 23 county board seats and a majority of the state legislative seats in the county. President George Bush carried the county by a slim margin over Democrat John Kerry.

However, Democrats have made major gains since 1996, particularly at the state level where they've picked up three seats in the Illinois House and two in the state senate. This year, the party scored perhaps its biggest victory when Bean defeated long-time incumbent Phil Crane in the 8th Congressional District. Democrats also won the county coroner's race with the election of Richard Keller and gained a majority on the North Shore Sanitary District board.

In some elections, Churchill said he believes part of the reasons why Republican candidates were defeated is they failed to get overwhelming support from traditionally Republican voters.

"I think Phil Crane lost because many Republicans didn't support him. Republicans don't typically support Democrats ... I think Phil Crane's district is still a Republican district," he said.

Pete Couvall, first vice chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, believes part of the reason why Democratic candidates have been more successful in recent years is their ability to appeal to swing voters, including independents and Republicans.

"I just see a pattern of a lot of independent-minded people. I think that showed a lot in the Melissa Bean race where she knocked off a 35-year veteran in Phil Crane. She couldn't have done that if there weren't a lot of independent-minded voters," he said.

Marquardt said he believes for Republicans to continue to be successful in statewide elections and in Lake County they need to have candidates who appeal to moderate voters. He pointed to the overwhelming victory of U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, a Republican, in the 10th Congressional District as an example.

"I think if Republicans want be successful in Lake County they have to be moderate. That's why Mark Kirk has done so well in Lake County because he's been so moderate on social issues," he said.

Lake County Clerk Willard Helander, a Republican, said the quality of candidates can be critical in a race, regardless of party label. However, she believes other factors may influence voters' decision.
In the past, she said the Republican Party in Lake County has traditionally gotten out the vote through a strong precinct committeeman organization and door-to-door efforts. However, in recent years, Democrats have effectively used direct mailings, newspaper inserts and other printed material to get their message across.

"There's a lot of attention to connecting to the voter through custom pieces through the mail," she said.

Helander said recent changes in state law also have made it easier for Democrats to extend the party organization from Cook County and Chicago into Lake County. One change, for example, allows political parties to bring in poll watchers from outside the county to help on election day.

JoAnn Osmond, chairman of the Lake County Republican Party, believes negative campaigning and mailing pieces by some Democratic candidates may have affected the outcome in some close races such as the coroner's race and in the 8th Congressional District.

"You saw it in the Crane race. Every other day it was a negative piece," she said.

But Gash, who chairs the 10th Congressional District Democrats, disagrees. She thinks the main reason for Democratic gains is a better organized party structure, turning out better candidates with more volunteer help.

"I think the most significant thing, whether the Republican Party wants to admit it or not is we have built a better organization with volunteers who are deeply committed to seeing Democratic candidates elected," she said.