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I hope we run some good candidates for Alderman. There are several wards that vote Republican or barley rat when a Republican is winning statewide.

If Doherty wins his leg race and leaves his ward it’s no guarantee we’d hold it. A “conservative” rat held it before Doherty beat him. (the late Roman Pucinski). I hope we have a successor lined up.

In theory it shouldn't be that hard to win Alderman seats in Chicago since they're officially "nonpartisan" and voters won't be able to just blindly punch whatever "D" they see on the ballot. But in the past, whenever a Republicans runs in Chicago the media and Chicago machine is sure to let everyone know that one of those scary Republicans is on the ballot. Usually something along the lines of: "RIGHT WING REPUBLICAN Kurt Eckhardt is the REPUBLICAN Party's choice for 48th Ward Alderman! Don't fall for the GOP's sneaky Republican tricks and accidentally elect a REPUBLICAN!

Sort of like the "nonpartisan" seats in the Kansas legislature. Both parties make it clear which candidate they're backing. You can even go to wikipedia and read the GOP vs. Dem breakdown of Kansas' "nonpartisan" legislature.

I think last time around we only had five Republican vs. Democrat contests out of 50 wards. Most of them survived to the runoff because it was a two-way race to begin with, and one was an incumbent (Doherty). The only ward we came close to winning recently was Ward #42, which is the wealthy downtown gold coast area. It was something to the effect of 52%-RAT candidate, 48%-GOP candidate in their vote for Alderman in 2005.

Things are so much easier in my hometown in suburban Cook. The two local parties merged about 18 years ago. Now it's a one-party combiner slate running unopposed, and they then support whichever party is in power locally and statewide. (no, I'm not joking)