Changing horses mid-stream

33rd Ward Alderman Dick Mell backed former Mayoral Chief of Staff John Schmidt in the Democratic primary for Governor in 1998. On the last weekend of the campaign, he switched his support to Congressman Glenn Poshard, and delivered the 33rd ward for his new choice by a large margin.

Poshard won the primary, buoyed by his downstate base and Machine support in Chicago, but he lost the general election to Republican Secretary of State George Ryan.

Mell’s switch was considered by others to be a smart move. He bet on the winning horse in the Democratic primary, and that’s what mattered.

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