Why the presidential candidates skipped DuPage
Just days before the Illinois primary in February 2008, Mitt Romney came to College of DuPage's Glen Ellyn campus to make his pitch for why he was a better presidential candidate than the Republican Party's eventual nominee, John McCain.
At the time, the former Massachusetts governor's appearance made sense. DuPage County has long been a Republican stronghold, and McCain had spent a day in DuPage less than 48 hours before Romney's rally.
Four years later, what doesn't make sense to DuPage Republicans now is that Romney won Illinois without making a major campaign stop in DuPage. Instead, the GOP presidential front-runner and rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich swept through suburban Cook County in their attempts to sway voters.
Addison Township GOP Chairman Pat Durante said it's “a disappointment” that there were no significant appearances in DuPage by Romney, Santorum or Gingrich.
“I was upset about it,” Durante said. “DuPage isn't that far from O'Hare Airport. They sure could have showed up at Wheaton College or Elmhurst College.
“Bottom line, they should have been here,” Durante added. “They should have been here.”
Historically speaking
The absence of major campaign stops in DuPage is surprising, considering the county's history with high-profile politicians.
“In the past, DuPage County always was one of the necessary stops when you came through Illinois as a Republican,” said Robert Schillerstrom, a former county board chairman who was in Naperville in 2000 when George W. Bush kicked off his successful run for the presidency.
That September, Bush appeared with running mate Dick Cheney during a rally at Naperville North High School. The two then marched in the city's Labor Day parade to celebrate the traditional start of the presidential campaign.
“I can't think of a better place to start the campaign than right here in Naperville,” Bush said to a crowd of more than 5,000 onlookers.
Bush and Cheney were back in the county less than a week before the election for a rally at College of DuPage that drew an estimated 25,000 people.
Other presidential candidates to make campaign stops in DuPage include then-Vice President George Bush in 1988 and Bob Dole in 1996.
“It's a mystery to me as to why the candidates weren't here this time,” Schillerstrom said.
DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said it's a sign that Romney and Santorum “may not be the best campaigners in the world.”
“We're the most Republican voter-rich county in the state,” Cronin said. “It's kind of silly on their part that they didn't come. I just think it speaks a little bit to their lack of competence and understanding about the landscape here.”
No time
Jon Zahm, Santorum's Illinois director, said there's simple reason why Santorum didn't have a campaign stop in DuPage: time.
“If I had another day with him, I think we would have come to DuPage,” Zahm said, adding that DuPage supporters were encouraged to attend Santorum's Arlington Heights event.
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Romney's Illinois campaign chairman, said the candidate had limited time to make numerous campaign stops statewide.
“He was all over the suburbs, and we were in Rockford, and we were in Peoria, and we were in Collinsville,” Rutherford said.
Dan Curry, a Republican strategist based in DuPage, said those events helped the campaigns achieve their goal of getting media exposure.
“I think, symbolically, candidates like to come to DuPage because it's the epicenter of Republican votes in Illinois,” Curry said. “But realistically, the way campaigns look at it, they are hoping to get on TV to reach people throughout the Chicago area.”
Considering Romney cruised to a 12 percentage-point victory over Santorum and captured 42 of the state's 54 delegates, few could say his strategy was flawed.
Still, Rutherford said he can understand why some DuPage Republicans are disappointed. “There's people who were disappointed that there wasn't a stop someplace else,” he said.
DuPage attention
Before his Election Night celebration event in Schaumburg, Romney did spend about an hour at a private fundraiser in Wheaton. Supporters paid at least $1,000 a ticket to attend the reception, which was held at a home and closed to the media.
“Yes, it was not a public event,” Rutherford said. “There were a few hundred people there from the area, and he greeted people on the street and shook hands.”
That's not the kind of appearance Cronin had in mind when he tried to invite Romney to a St. Patrick's Day dinner on March 16 in Oakbrook Terrace. The event, which Cronin hosted, drew more than 1,000 people and was attended by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
“It would have been a layup for (Romney),” Cronin said.
Instead on March 16, Romney made an early morning stop in Rosemont before flying to Puerto Rico, where he spent the rest of that day campaigning.
Rutherford stressed that Romney realizes DuPage is “very significant.” It's the reason why Romney asked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to make a March 16 appearance at Elmhurst College.
“Gov. Christie is one of the highest-profile national Republicans there is,” Rutherford said.
State Rep. Dennis Reboletti of Elmhurst, who is a Romney delegate, says he believes Christie's appearance, which drew hundreds of people, was a huge success.
“Chris Christie hit a home run and was able to get the base motivated in DuPage County,” Reboletti said.
Next time?
With Illinois not expected to be a battleground state in November, Durante says he doesn't anticipate the eventual Republican nominee to visit Illinois during the general election campaign.
“Their campaigns are going to write Illinois off,” he predicts. “They are going to take the money they would have spent here and put it in Florida or Ohio.
“The only time you will see (the GOP nominee) back here again will be for a fundraiser.”
Durante says that's unfortunate because a major campaign event in DuPage would be a morale booster for the local Republican organization.
“It shows that you're wanted and that you're valuable,” Durante said. “This is where the votes are.”