2020 Election: Is illinois really a Blue state? (Chicago, Springfield: house, suburban)

[reneeh63]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Arizona just approved a 77% increase on state income tax above $250k, so say goodbye to a large chunk of wealthy retirees. Florida there they go.

But retirees can be rich and not have that defined in terms of taxable "income" so there's that.

[Sunbiz1]

Originally Posted by Curly Q. Bobalink

I've always used Wisconsin as an example of a well (at least better) run state, you can see it in the quality of their roads

As much as I've complained about the roads here, Wisconsin hasn't rated higher in quite some time:
https://reason.org/policy-study/24th...ighway-report/

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by DamenVChicago

Trump *attempted* to have a rally in Chicago in early 2016. Needless to say, it ended up getting shut down before even starting from protests.

That rally was set to take place days before the 2016 presidential primary here.

Pence did end up having a private fundraising event as well as a rally-like event in Rosemont in 2018, both of which I attended. His appearance was geared toward fundraising and raising enthusiasm for local congressional Republicans.

Originally Posted by reneeh63

But retirees can be rich and not have that defined in terms of taxable "income" so there's that.

The wealthiest retirees live by the 4% rule, and those individuals are more likely to be caught by the tax increase. Anyway, who is going to pay 8% of their income to live in 105 degrees?

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

Cook County went 75% for Biden, so considering it has about half the state's population, then "Yeah, we're a blue state".

[Bitey]

Even Kane and DeKalb Counties have turned blue. Jim Oberweis should have trounced that one-term dilettante, though maybe he would have had he been anyone other than Jim Oberweis. That said, Not too long ago you couldn't find a Democrat anywhere in Kane County unless it was someone from the city out on a weekend antiquing excursion. Maybe the university accounts for DeKalb's blue streak, just as most blue patches downstate are university areas.

That said I take some comfort in seeing the tax swindle get shot down by a convincing margin and Dick Dirtbag getting barely half the vote in his 58th re-election bid.

[aga412]

Originally Posted by Bitey

Even Kane and DeKalb Counties have turned blue. Jim Oberweis should have trounced that one-term dilettante, though maybe he would have had he been anyone other than Jim Oberweis. That said, Not too long ago you couldn't find a Democrat anywhere in Kane County unless it was someone from the city out on a weekend antiquing excursion. Maybe the university accounts for DeKalb's blue streak, just as most blue patches downstate are university areas.

That said I take some comfort in seeing the tax swindle get shot down by a convincing margin and Dick Dirtbag getting barely half the vote in his 58th re-election bid.

Kane County has gone to the Dems county-wide too. The Bush Republicans of the Tri-Cities have all turned into limousine liberals. If they had picked anyone except Oberweis, I would think they could have crushed the fake nurse easily though, since she votes to the extreme left of her constituency. Perhaps next time!

[Bitey]

Originally Posted by aga412

Kane County has gone to the Dems county-wide too. The Bush Republicans of the Tri-Cities have all turned into limousine liberals. If they had picked anyone except Oberweis, I would think they could have crushed the fake nurse easily though, since she votes to the extreme left of her constituency. Perhaps next time!

Why does the party keep picking that gadfly to run anyway? Is he buying his nominations with his milk money or something?

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

Originally Posted by Bitey

Why does the party keep picking that gadfly to run anyway? Is he buying his nominations with his milk money or something?

I think it's more that he is picking himself. In many IL races, the R party doesn't want to pay for a candidate because it's a foregone conclusion they're going to get trounced anyway. After all, Cook County DID just re-elect Kim Foxx, who woulda thunk that? The exceptions are folks like Rauner and Ober-Weis-Kenobe, who will pony up the bucks to fund their own campaigns. Not sure why he wants public office so badly, maybe he just feels it's his "destiny" or something.

[Bitey]

Originally Posted by Curly Q. Bobalink

I think it's more that he is picking himself. In many IL races, the R party doesn't want to pay for a candidate because it's a foregone conclusion they're going to get trounced anyway. After all, Cook County DID just re-elect Kim Foxx, who woulda thunk that? The exceptions are folks like Rauner and Ober-Weis-Kenobe, who will pony up the bucks to fund their own campaigns. Not sure why he wants public office so badly, maybe he just feels it's his "destiny" or something.

The 14th district is anything but a foregone conclusion as evidenced by the fact the race still hasn't been called. In more "normal" political times it would probably still even be a Republican-leaning district, and for sure it's one of the few competitive districts left in this state worth having the party spend its money on. If it's unwilling to do that, then it deserves to go extinct in this state. In fact at this point it's hard to conclude anything else than the IL GOP has accepted its face and is simply managing its own decline.

No wonder so many sane people are fleeing to Indiana and the sun belt.

[aga412]

Originally Posted by Bitey

The 14th district is anything but a foregone conclusion as evidenced by the fact the race still hasn't been called. In more "normal" political times it would probably still even be a Republican-leaning district, and for sure it's one of the few competitive districts left in this state worth having the party spend its money on. If it's unwilling to do that, then it deserves to go extinct in this state. In fact at this point it's hard to conclude anything else than the IL GOP has accepted its face and is simply managing its own decline.

No wonder so many sane people are fleeing to Indiana and the sun belt.

There was also a crowded primary (7 people or something) and Oberweis barely squeaked out of it - he only beat Sue Rezin by a percent, or maybe even less. I think people only voted for him because of name recognition (the McHenry/Lake part of the district handed it to him from my analysis, whereas Kane/Will/DuPage are more familiar with his antics). Hardly an affirmation from the voters in that district that they even really wanted him as the nominee.

I think this is his seventh race and he's only won one of them (state senate, where he was doing pretty well). I think it's time he hangs up his hat and sticks to ice cream.