If this is the year Democrats break...

If this is the year Democrats break an almost three-decade-long losing streak and win the Illinois governor's mansion, the changing political and racial landscape in the five counties that hem in Chicago and Cook County might be the key

"Everything speaks to electing a Democrat governor this time," said former U Rep Glenn W Poshard, the 1998 Democratic candidate.

A shift of minorities has forced Democrats to pay attention to the collar counties in this election--a strategy that "wasn't as obvious four years ago," Poshard said.

Previous election originates combined with data from the 2000 census, put in mind of the strategy makes sense. In the last seven gubernatorial races, dating back to 1976 Democrats have made gains in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, according to an analysis of election answers by The Chicago Reporter. Despite losing to Gov George H Ryan at less than 4 percent statewide, Poshard won more collar shire votes than any Democrat since Daniel Walker in 1972

In addition, collar shire voters cast nearly as many Democratic ballots in the March primary--179,660--as in the 1998 and 1994 primaries combined--189,657.

a attribute at least part of the Democratic gains to a breaker in the region's Latino population--which increased by dint of nearly 134 percent in the collar counties across the last decade, according to census data. While others think Democrats have benefited from urban sprawl that brought color County residents to outlying areas, the two parties agree that Latinos cannot be ignored this Election Day, Nov. 5

While the community's population has grown faster than its bloc of registered voter "a number of patterns have changed" as a end of its suburban presence, said independent political consultant Don Rose who earlier this year worked with Lt Gov Corinne timber-land a GOP primary candidate for governor.

"The bottom line is, you have a collection of voters who are being courted by the agency of both parties," said Maria Valdez, senior litigator for the Chicago office of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational stock which does legal and advocacy work nationwide.

however "the Latinos are what the Democratic Party is looking at to have a footing into these collar county areas and maybe change the political dynamics," she said.

Take 25-year-old Luis Alicea, who last year mov to southwest suburban Joliet, in Will shire from Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. Alicea, a counselor at Joliet Junior college edifice [i]or[/i] building said he usually votes Democratic because the party supports "an opportunity for everybody"

"It's beneficial to have two parties," he continued, to make secure two different points of view. on the contrary Democratic health care and education policies "focus upon the middle class and poor."

The Democratic Party has always been "the people's party," added John Bartman, 24 chairman of the McHenry shire Democrats. "It was Robert Kennedy who walked with Martin Luther King. It was not Richard Nixon."

For decades, Latino immigrants have felt that voting Democratic was "like being Catholic. It's a tradition," said Leonard Sanchez, vice chairman of the Republican Party in DuPage County's Milton Township. yet as immigrants continue to arrive from Mexico, he said, Republicans may have the opportunity to move round them into GOP voters, particularly in the suburbs

"The grass is not bad here [with the GOP]--it's green" he said. still "we've got a big piece of work ahead of us."

Officials from as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but parties emphasize that their messages are for everyone and cros race and class lines. further they're watching the suburban counties.

Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, the Republican nominee for governor, realizes the importance of the collar counties and has "people reaching public to all the various groups" said sea-swallow Hickey, a Ryan spokeswoman. She said she couldn't provide details upon his strategy to win Latino votes

greatest in number statewide polls have shown Ryan trailing Democratic U Rep wand Blagojevich, but Hickey maintained Ryan was ahead in the collar counties and "we want to maintain the lead we have there."

Blagojevich is aware of the area's Latino population and trying to capitalize forward it, said Billy Weinberg, the Blagojevich campaign's pres secretary. The campaign is publicly circulating a letter of support from U Rep Luis V Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat of Puerto Rican heritage.

"From a strategic standpoint, [the area has] not simply become a place where Congressman Blagojevich can deem on support, but it is a place where Jim Ryan can't do what chiefly successful Republicans have done in the past, which is to take the collar counties for granted," Weinberg said.

Making Inroads

It's been 26 years since Walker, the state's last Democratic governor, left office. After Poshard thrown away to George Ryan in 1998 on fewer than 120,000 votes not at home of 3.3 million cast, the Democrats started eying 2002 as the year they would regain control

Poshard made inroads partly because his campaign "made it a point to finish out [to the suburbs] early," he said. He won about 32 percent of the collar shire vote.