THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2008
'A Statement On President Bush'
Uncontested 65th Dist. Results Paint An Interesting Picture
In what some voters are predicting will be one of the best local political races in November, Democrat challenger Aurora Austriaco comfortably outdistanced Republican incumbent Rosemary Mulligan in voter support Tuesday.
Both ran unopposed in the Feb. 5 primary meaning they will face off against each other in the fall election.
Mulligan has served residents of the area for many years. She is considered a moderate Republican. Austriaco, an unsuccessful candidate for Maine Township trustee two years ago, is a Park Ridge resident. Mulligan lives in Des Plaines.
With 98% of the vote totals reporting, unofficial results show that 9,717 ballots had been cast for Austriaco and 5,062 for Mulligan.
"It's a very unusual year," said Mulligan Tuesday night. "It's a statement on President Bush. People are unhappy with him and the war and the stock market fell over 300 points today."
Mulligan also said that one reason for the sizable turnout for Austriaco is that she believes many local Republicans took out Democratic ballots. The reason for that, Mulligan said, is probably because of the spirited race featuring presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and the lack of contested local races.
"A lot can change between now and November," said Mulligan.
Meanwhile, a group of about 20 Democrats met at the White Eagle restaurant in Niles to watch election numbers and support local candidates.
Austriaco was among those eager to see the returns. Although she was unopposed in the Democratic primary, many on hand believed her high numbers are a good sign for the future.
"The turnout for Democrats has been pretty incredible," Austriaco said.
"It tells you that the people are more excited, they're politically aware and people are really paying attention," she said of the good early showing.
But as this is only the primary, there is a long way to go and Austriaco will remain steady on the campaign trail.
This week that included visiting and delivering lunches the polling centers on "Super Tuesday", election day. She also brought snacks and met with parents signing children up for pre-school on Monday, although she did mention most people were full enough from their Super Bowl parties the night before.
The group of supporters on hand Tuesday evening kept a close eye on the television and computer updates but were mostly enjoying the company as there were no highly competitive primaries up for ballot.
"This is just another milestone," Austriaco said.
Still it was a good showing for the newcomer and Maine Township Committeeman Laura Murphy likes the way things were going so far.
"We're thrilled about the Democratic turnout," she said. "We'll keep the momentum going right into the general election."