About Boone County, Illinois

[bluestateguy]

This county has not voted Democratic for president since before the Civil War, yet I see that John Kerry polled better there than any Democrat in over 100 years--at 42.4%. FDR and LBJ dod not carry it. But the Democratic percentages have been creeping up tic by tic every 4 years for the last 30 years.

What's happening? Are liberal Chicagoians moving into the county and slowly changing its politics?

[murielm99]

1. Their county Democrats

are getting better organized all the time. They meet with us in as part of a five-county organization. I think they have elected some Democratic county board members. We only have ONE Democrat on our county board. I was pissed that we could not get more people to run here.

There has been a population explosion in Boone County, too. Check with their county organization to see how things are going, and what you can do to help.

[vireo]

2. Could the Hispanic vote be a major factor?

Belvidere is about 20% Hispanic, a group which had little presence there 30 years ago.