I didn’t expect Illinois to miraculously turn red in 2008 due to the overwhelming affect of Chicago politics. But I was surprised as many counties turned blue as they did. Especially around us (Ogle).
Winnebago, that’s Rockford. That’s always blue. Rock Island County as well, as someone else pointed out. But other counties nearby are fairly conservative. Downstate as well, both in central and Southern Illinois. Yeah, 2008 was a hard election to swallow. Too many people bought into the Kool Aid.
Speaking from a viewpoint on the outside, I would have expected those in Illinois but outside of the Chicago area would understand better than most the nation, how crooked Chicago politics are and how they bring down those outside their area with their influence.
But the voting record in 2008 does not show that to be true for the majority.