Ward Room - Illinois: The Most Democratic State

I hope the Republicans had read this from NBC Chicago's local politics blog:

Why are Republicans so powerless in Illinois? As the saying goes, geography is destiny. It’s all about Cook County, which contains half of Illinois’ voters. Only Delaware, Hawaii and Rhode Island -- tiny states with similarly Democratic voting records -- are so dominated by a single urban county.

Illinois’ GOP has become irrelevant because of its association with the national Republican brand: white and rural, with a desire to bring religion into public life, and a belief that the government has no business telling people how many guns they can own.

Unfortunately, the Republicans’ last gubernatorial nominee, Bill Brady, embodied those values. Brady campaigned as though he lived in the Illinois of the Republican Party’s dreams -- an Illinois that does not include Cook County. He counted on Downstaters’ resentment of the Colossus of the North carrying him to victory. The result: He won 99 of 102 counties, and still lost. Pat Quinn would have been elected to a full term even if he’d just carried Cook County.

Republicans will just have to get used to the fact that the Democrats have become the natural governing party of Illinois. They may be able to sneak in a governor after years of one-party fatigue, but as long as the Democrats are the big-city party, and the Republicans the small-town party, they’ll never dominate this state again.

What this means is that they need more of a presence in Cook County. They need not totally cede the county to the Democrats. It's often been said if the Republicans can get enough votes to cut into any potential Democratic votes, they can win a statewide race.

On that note, just saw an article that said that the Chairman of the Cook County Republican party is stepping down:

We've learned Cook County GOP Chair Lee Roupas plans to step down from his role next month, in order to devote more time to his job as a DuPage County Assistant State's Attorney.

Roupas called us just a few minutes ago to dish about the move.

He said the chairmanship was a "great experience" but said "it was time to move on to a new chapter in my life."

Roupas, of Palos Heights, and his fiance will be moving to Chicago soon. He'll be starting with the state's attorney's office later this month. He plans to focus on his career.

I know something will be misconstrued here. I don't consider myself a member of either party. My ultimate goal is not to support a party, but individuals. May not always get there, however, but that would be how I approach elections. If the Republicans can put up a candidate that I would like to serve us in whatever capacity, that person will receive my vote.

For now I hope that Cook County can get the leadership where the Republican party can field such candidates throughout the county!