‘I’m going to defend democracy’ — Who the boots on the ground are for Democrat, GOP campaigns

“How many times has everybody here heard, ‘This is the most important election of our lifetime? This is the one that’s going to change everything?’” political organizer Aaron Del Mar asked a crowd recently.

History will tell, but the Tuesday presidential nail-biter is consequential enough for the Palatine Republican to spend a weeknight at a tent in Aurora rallying dozens of locals committed to getting out the vote.

Likewise, a contingent of Democrats rendezvoused in Arlington Heights one Saturday morning in early October, chugging coffee before carpooling to Milwaukee to canvass voters.

“I said to my wife (a Republican) when I left, that I’m going to defend democracy and I truly believe that,” volunteer Bill Davis said.

Across the suburbs, hundreds of Democrats and Republicans are aiding election campaigns with a passion indicative of the showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Here’s an inside look.

On, Wisconsin

“There is nothing that is better persuading, and motivating a voter to turn out for the election — than knocking on doors,” Lisle Democrat and Indivisible Illinois member Patrick Watson told volunteers at the Greater Palatine Area Democrats’ office in Arlington Heights Oct. 12.

The group was minutes away from heading to Wisconsin as part of a mobilization effort by Operation Swing State, a coalition of state and local Democrats.

“We are going to talk to voters who are strong Democrats but don’t always show up at elections. Those people just need a bit of a push,” Watson said.

“It’s really going to come down to Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. We’re going to win with people having peer-to-peer conversations with voters, everyone talking about why they’re passionate about Kamala Harris.”

Boots-on-the-ground energy is supplemented with high tech.

“Have you all downloaded the MINIVAN app?” Watson asked, referring to a mobile canvassing tool.

Volunteer Kathy Niekrasz of Palatine took the day off work to participate. She’s canvassed locally, but this was her first out-of-state stint.

“I’m very anxious, but I’m excited about our election. I’m all for Kamala and Tim (Walz) and what the Democrats stand for in this very important election,” Niekrasz said.

And, “although I have other things I could or should be doing today — this has to come first,” Mount Prospect’s Patti Werner said.

Pounding the pavement in Naperville

The Naperville Township Republican Organization’s office bustled Saturday, Oct. 26, as suburbanites converged for a Day of Action event.

Chair Andy Manno organized stacks of flyers highlighting nine contenders for county office, judge, and Congress with bios and QR codes linking to campaigns.

In blue state Illinois, the organization is focusing on downballot races, he said.

“You may have Republicans that are anti-Trumpers — we don’t want to steer them away from the other Republicans that are on the ballot,” Manno explained. “Sometimes they’ll be like, ‘Oh Trump’s running, I’m not even going to vote.’ Well, we don’t want that to happen, we still say: ‘Oh there’s other good Republicans on the ballot — here they are.’”

Manno got involved because “everyone’s got to roll up their sleeves and do the work, especially if they want to keep having safe streets, having good police forces, having low property taxes and great schools. We know how we got this — it’s with Republicans.”

NTRO members walking precincts included Danielle Gehrt. The 10-year resident is a precinct committeeman and was an alternate delegate for Trump at the Republican National Convention in July.

She has canvassing down to a science that includes clear plastic bags to slip on doorknobs with candidate literature and a personal letter.

The effort pays off, Gehrt said. “It takes a while, for even voters in my own precinct to get to know me and feel comfortable, but now when I come to the door, they’re like, ‘Hey, what you got?’”

Door-to-door in Wheaton

Earlier in the month, volunteers piled into the Democratic Party of DuPage’s Carol Stream headquarters to work a Planned Parenthood Illinois Action day of action for abortion rights Oct. 5.

Among those canvassing was Joshua Martell of Wheaton.

“I’ve done this a fair amount since the Trump era. That was a wake-up call for a lot of people, including myself,” he said. “This is how it gets done — the not-TV commercial part of it. Everything’s too close. It’s too important to leave it to chance.”

Katie Stanczykiewicz, PPIA director of government relations, deployed to a Wheaton neighborhood.

Most residents said thanks and took the literature.

However, “there’s no such thing as reproductive rights,” one homeowner said. Another listened, nodded, and upon hearing the word “Democrat,” said “perfect.”

“This is important because this is my future,” Stanczykiewicz said. “This is the future of me deciding if I’m going to be able to have children when I want to have children and being able to have a choice.”

A big tent, literally

Aurora Township Republican Party Committeeman Mary Kosters welcomed guests and directed them to tacos and soft drinks at an Oct. 23 rally held in a tent.

She grew up in upstate New York where family members were old-school JFK Democrats, but Kosters changed parties in college.

“I’m a big Trump supporter, for sure. I felt safe” during his administration, she said.

Kosters works full time and is busy with family but still makes time for politics.

“I know what’s in our communities, I want to feel safe,” she said. “I want my children to be able to afford a home. I am fighting now for what’s coming behind me, I have two granddaughters.”

Jayden Badillo is a high school senior and volunteer for Republican Andrew Sosnowski, who is running for Kane County state’s attorney against incumbent Jamie Mosser.

“As we get older, we’re going to inherit all these communities in Kane County, so it’s important to advocate for things we believe in instead of things like self-interest,” Badillo said.

Del Mar, an Illinois Republican Party co-chair, urged his audience to vote Tuesday but also to focus on winning seats in local elections April 1.

“That is your farm team,” he said. “You get a young man like Jayden on … the school district board, he learns about budgeting he learns about caucusing, he learns about the rules, he gets an opportunity to speak thousands of times — by the time there’s a state representative seat ready to go — he’s ready to go on Day 1.”