Lake County Gazette

Lake County GOP Chairman Keith Brin gave an overview of the political changes lake county has experienced over the past several years. 

He noted the shift of Lake County's political landscape from red to purple to blue in recent years.

“At the end of the day, I think there's a common thread through most of America, and it certainly runs through the suburbs here, is that people want government—if they're going to be used using tax dollars—they want the government to be using it properly. They don't want it to be throwing their money away,” Brin said. “There is some affluence in Lake County, and regardless of your political stripe, you want the government to be using money [in] appropriate way. And when you get down to very local levels, you're watching every dollar. When property taxes are skyrocketing, when the cost of everything is going up, it starts impacting your wallet. I  care what political stripe you are, you're starting to look at the bottom line on everything.” 

Those involved discussed various political topics. 

“I think the impact of the presidential circus, however, you look at it, has really impacted the suburbs and it's worked against the Republican Party,” Brin said. “Lake County is no different, obviously, being largely suburban outside of Chicago, we've been impacted by that. And many of the biggest counties in Illinois have sort of been hit the same way. And Lake County was purple, certainly used to be red, then became purple. And then over the last six years or so, it's gone pretty much blue the way of a lot of the big suburbs.” 

Brin’s comments came during the latest episode of “Smoke-Filled Room” recorded at A Cuban Experience in Waukegan. The episode also included insights into statewide issues, races to watch, and covered topics such as Republican performance in Lake County, the impact of the GOP presidential primary on the suburbs, the significant 2024 race for Lake County State's Attorney and various other political developments. 

John Feehery, a longtime Republican staffer who has worked for several Illinois legislators, noted Democratic mismanagement should lead to suburban voters shifting toward Republican candidates. 

“Some of whom are more concerned with local issues, such as crime, the economy and the terrible stewardship of Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D)," Feehery wrote in The Hill. "Under the Pritzker administration, crime has spiraled out of control, state taxes are among the nation’s highest, and the cost of living has made the state unaffordable for many of its residents.” 

Feehery noted the issues have created an opportunity for a Republican candidate to appeal to both Trump supporters and those focused on local issues."

According to recent U.S. Census data cited by real estate outlet Redfin, some red and swing states in America may have become less Republican during the pandemic, according to The Hill. The data also highlights the strong Democratic ties among Latino and Black voters, with a majority expressing support for the Democratic party. However, some studies indicate that Republicans have gained a larger share of the Latino vote compared to previous elections. Black voters continue to show a strong affiliation with the Democratic party.

According to FiveThirtyEight, during the 2020 presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump targeted suburban voters, particularly suburban women, with a vision of the suburbs as predominantly white, well-off, and supportive of conservative values, such as Lake County. However, this strategy did not prove successful, as suburban and exurban counties in states like Pennsylvania and Georgia leaned towards Democrat Joe Biden. The shift towards the Democratic Party in these areas can be attributed to a combination of factors, including increased racial diversity and higher levels of education. Educational attainment among white people is often linked to their openness to racial diversity, with more educated individuals more likely to embrace diversity. While demographic changes alone did not uniformly favor Democrats, areas that became both more racially diverse and more educated showed the strongest swing towards Biden. These shifts in suburban voting patterns have contributed to the increasing competitiveness of states like Texas and Arizona in recent elections.