Jung blames Democratic wave for loss

When John Jung went to his polling place Tuesday, he noticed something that he found encouraging for the country but ominous for McHenry County Republicans.

"There was a lot of younger kids there that never voted before," said Jung, a Woodstock Republican. "They turned out because of Obama. It wasn't so good for the Republicans."

After 14 years representing District 5 on the McHenry County Board, Jung was unable to head off a challenge from Democrat Paula Yensen of Lake in the Hills.

Barack Obama won a majority in the once reliably Republican county, while two Democrats, including Yensen, unseated two Republicans on the county board.

With Jung's loss, the county board loses 14 years of experience, its vice chairman and its liaison to the Regional Planning Commission, a group mapping out growth in the county for the next 20 years.

"I would kind of like to stay involved," Jung said. But without his county board seat, "I don't know now how much influence I'm going to have," he said.

Jung's next opportunity to run for a seat on the county board will be in 2010. Jung said Wednesday he hasn't had much time to process his defeat.

"I'm not going to say never, but at this point, until I process everything and decide what I want to do, I'm not really thinking about it right now," Jung said.