Crossing party lines

It was not unusual for Chicago Democratic Party officials to support Republican candidates during the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

25th Ward Democratic Committeeman Vito Marzullo and 36th Ward Democratic Committeeman Louis Garippo endorsed Richard Nixon for President in 1972.

Most Democratic organizations in White wards campaigned for Republican Bernard Epton in the 1983 Chicago Mayoral election.

And Democratic State Representative Lawrence DiPrima chaired Illinois Democrats for Reagan-Bush in 1984.

Some Democrats even became Republicans but then switched back.

50th Ward Alderman Bernard Stone switched parties to become the Republican candidate for Cook County Recorder of Deeds in 1988. He switched back to the Democrats soon after.

Clerk of the Circuit Court Aurelia Pucinski, a Democrat, was the Republican candidate for Cook County Board President in 1998 then switched back to the Democrats and won election as a Circuit Court Judge in 2004.

Progressives supported loads of Republicans, too. Toni Preckwinkle sat on the IVI-IPO Board of Directors and campaigned for Independent-backed candidates in both parties. Alan Dobry, who beat the Machine to win election as 5th Ward Democratic Committeeman, also campaigned for all the candidates endorsed by IVI-IPO while in office.

The big division in politics back then was public interest vs. private interest, not Democratic vs Republican.