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NOVEMBER 13, 2004 ARTICLE I SENT THE EDITORS OF
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES,
DAILY HERALD, WHEATON LEADER, & WHEATON SUN
DuPage Bush-Cheney and Keyes vote strongest in Wheaton – Dave Diersen
Except for Alan Keyes, all Republican candidates on DuPage County ballots won on November 2. At the Milton Township Republican Central Committee (MTRCC) November 10 monthly meeting, MTRCC Past Chairman Dave DeMotte reported unofficial November 2 election results for DuPage County, for each of its nine townships, and for the 109 Milton Township precincts. The results are unofficial because they do not include provisional ballots.
Of DuPage County's 530,732 registered voters, 402,782 or 75.9% cast ballots -- 218,369 or 54.2% voted for Bush-Cheney and 124,333 or 30.9% voted for Keyes.
Of DuPage County's nine townships, Milton Township had the highest percentage overall turnout -- of its 73,917 registered voters, 58,726 or 79.4% cast ballots. York Township was second with 78% and Downers Grove Township was third with 77.7%. Milton Township had the highest percentage Bush-Cheney vote -- 33,987 or 57.9% voted for Bush-Cheney. Winfield Township was second with 55.5% and Wayne Township was third with 55.4%. Milton Township had the highest percentage Keyes vote -- 20,463 or 34.8% voted for Keyes. Winfield Township was second with 34.6% and York Township was third with 31.6%.
Milton Township is primarily Wheaton and Glen Ellyn. All ten of the strongest precincts for Bush-Cheney and/or for Keyes were in Wheaton.
Large signs and banners were displayed in downtown Wheaton for Bush-Cheney beginning shortly after he announced his reelection bid and for Keyes beginning shortly after he accepted the nomination on August 8. Keyes met commuters at the Wheaton train station on August 13 and November 1. He spoke at a DuPage County GOP convention in Wheaton on August 21, Wheaton's September 11 Patriot Day Picnic, and MTRCC's October 8 Oktoberfest fundraiser. Wheaton resident and MTRCC member Gary Muehlfelt led the Bush-Cheney campaign in Milton Township. MTRCC spent $5,000 on Bush-Cheney signs that were displayed in Milton Township. Wheaton resident and MTRCC member Dr. Bob Krzyzewski led the Keyes campaign in DuPage County.
The DuPage GOP has its headquarters in downtown Wheaton and Senator Kirk Dillard serves as its Chairman. Senator Dillard and MTRCC member Ron Smith are members of the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee (SCC) which selected Keyes to fill the Jack Ryan vacancy. Smith is the SCC's senior member and serves as its Secretary.
Wheaton is represented in Congress by Republican Henry Hyde; in the Illinois Senate by Republicans Peter Roskam, Ray Soden, and Dillard; in the Illinois House by Republicans Randy Hultgren, Carol Pankau, and Jim Meyer; and on the DuPage County Board by Republicans Debra Olson, John Noel, and Grant Eckhoff. Roskam and Olson reside in Wheaton.
In its October 1, 2004 edition, the Daily Herald published the following letter to the editor:
Thanks for support of Patriot Day
Many thanks to the more than 500 who attended the September 11 Patriot Day picnic in Wheaton's Memorial Park. A special thanks to State Senators Kirk Dillard and Peter Roskam for serving as masters of ceremonies, to U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes for giving the keynote address, to the elected officials and candidates who attended, and to the event's sponsors.
On July 5 last year, I had the honor of arranging a similar picnic in Wheaton's Prairie Path Park. The more than 200 who attended included all the announced GOP candidates for U.S. Senate - Jack Ryan, Jim Oberweis, Andy McKenna, Chirinjeev Kathuria and John Cox.
Keyes was warmly received by the crowd which gave him several standing ovations during his 20-minute speech. On the stage with Keyes were State Senators Dillard, Roskam and Raymond Soden; State Representative Randy Hultgren; State Representative candidate Roger Jenisch; DuPage County Board member Debra Olson; DuPage coroner candidate Peter Siekmann; GOP State Central Committeeman Ron Smith; and Milton Township Assessor Jim Gumm and Trustee Don Sender.
The stage Keyes gave his speech from is the same one Bob Dole gave his speech from immediately after he walked in Wheaton's 1996 Independence Day Parade. While CNN broadcast Dole's speech live, sadly the only reporters who covered Keyes' speech were WTTW's Rich Samuels and GOPUSA.com's Dave Diersen. Event photographers included Wheaton's Matt Ferguson.
The event was free for attendees thanks to its sponsors - State Farm Insurance Agent Mark Prutzman, Oberweis Dairy, Cox, AllStar Printing, Dillard, Hultgren, Olson, Siekmann, Sender, DuPage Regional School Board Trustee Tim Whelan and Diersen Consulting. Six hundred forty-four hot dogs and Polish sausages were handed out by Debbie Malek.
Event attendees included Oberweis and Sandy Rios, who personally handed out ice cream and flavored milk from an Oberweis truck; DuPage Auditor Jim Raisins; DuPage Regional Superintendent of Schools Darlene Ruscitti; Whelan; and Illinois Family Institute Executive Director Peter LaBarbera.
Keyes will again be speaking in DuPage County on Sunday, October 3; Monday, October 4; and Friday, October 8. For additional information, visit his campaign Web site at www.Keyes2004.com or phone (312) 756-0025.
In its May 26, 2004 edition, the Daily Herald published the following letter to the editor:
Business owners thanked by GOP
One way to show your support for candidates for political office is to display their campaign signs on your property. Republicans everywhere are very grateful to Paul Daniels and to Ron Dell for showing their support for Republican candidates by allowing campaign signs to be posted on their highly visible Wheaton business properties.
For the last two years, Daniels has allowed many Republican campaign signs to be posted on his red, white and blue, 1,631-square-foot, 47-year-old, 324 West Front St. building by the Wheaton train station. I have had the honor of posting three large "Bush for President" signs on the building since April of last year and six large "Jack Ryan for U.S. Senate" signs since March of this year.
For the 2002 general election, the building served as the statewide headquarters for the Ramsdell campaign for comptroller, as the DuPage County headquarters for the Cohn campaign for secretary of state, and as the Milton Township Republican Central Committee's campaign headquarters. However, the building will not be around much longer. At its June 7 meeting, the Wheaton City Council is expected to approve Daniels' plans to replace it with an 8,500-square-foot retail building.
Since October of last year, Dell has allowed me to post a Bush/Cheney banner on his office building at the southeast corner of Roosevelt and Warrenville roads just east of my precinct.
Milton Township has consistently had the highest percentage Republican turnout in DuPage County, and many precincts in Wheaton, including my own, have consistently had the highest percentage Republican turnouts in Milton Township. I am sure that was helped by the display of Republican campaign signs by respected local Wheaton business property owners.
Hopefully, as the Nov. 2 election approaches, more and more property owners will want to show their support for Republican candidates by posting campaign signs on their properties. The Bush/Cheney campaign can be reached at (703) 647-2700, and the Jack Ryan campaign can be reached at (312) 258-8600.
Again, Republicans everywhere are very grateful to Daniels and to Dell. |