Cross-party deals

Everybody who played ball got something, regardless of their party affiliation. That’s how things were arranged behind the scenes. 

In 1982, Republican Roger McAuliffe scored a victory in a State Representative race in a White, politically conservative, northwest side district.  

The following year, Republican Walter Dudycz, who later won a State Senate seat, collected an unusually large vote against the incumbent 38th Ward Alderman, who was a member of the local Democratic organization, in a part of the district where voters frequently backed Republicans in general elections. 

That same year, Harold Washington was elected Chicago's first Black Mayor, and Republican fortunes were thought to be on the upswing in conservative, White, city neighborhoods. 

So, the area’s Democratic and Republican ward leaders agreed to a "non-aggression" pact to protect themselves from the uncertain influences of citywide trends. Republicans would not contest the 38th ward Aldermanic seat and Democrats would not try to defeat McAuliffe. 

To accomplish this, 38th ward Republicans, as the 45th ward GOP had done in the past, agreed to not endorse or provide organizational support to an Aldermanic candidate. In return, the Democrats slated a legislative candidate who could defeat serious competitors in the Primary election but would then do nothing to try to win in the General election  

The pact was temporarily dropped upon McAuliffe's death but soon reinstituted to benefit the late legislator’s successor – his son – and continued, on and off, through the 2014 election.

Get more behind-the-scenes stories in “Chicago Political Stories: Devious, Comical, and Just Plain Memorable” (it’s free) at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/994143