Opinion: The Most Republican Wards in Chicago

" 41st Ward: When George W. Bush visited Chicago in 2002, Mayor Richard M. Daley took him to the Norwood Family Restaurant, on Northwest Highway. Not only is it close to O’Hare, it was in a ward that had given Bush 47 percent of the vote in 2000. The president got a standing ovation. The 41st Ward, a place where cops and firefighters can meet the city’s residency requirement but still feel they live in the suburbs, is the last outpost of Republicanism in Chicago. From 1991 to 2011, it was represented by the city’s only Republican alderman, Brian Doherty. It still sends a Republican to Springfield -- state Rep. Michael McAuliffe. But when Doherty ran for the state senate, he was defeated by Democrat John Mulroe.

42nd Ward: Is it any surprise that a ward encompassing Water Tower Place, the John Hancock Center and Trump International Hotel and Towers would be a cell of Republicanism in the heart of a Democratic city? The condos in those buildings sell for millions and millions of dollars. This ward is home to millionaires, yuppies who moved to Chicago for six-figure jobs, and empty nesters who’ve returned to the city after raising their children in the suburbs. That all spells G.O.P. In this year’s Republican primary, the 42nd Ward generated 4,715 votes -- the highest total in the city. Mitt Romney did very well among these folks. "

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