If not for the pandemic, the major political parties and their candidates would be busy every weekend with parades, festivals, and other events where candidates can get their message out to a lot of people in person at once. They would also have local members away for the national conventions. The crimp that gathering restrictions puts on in-person meetings may be spilling over into the online realm.
If social media posts are a fair indicator, there wasn’t nearly as much enthusiasm for the Democratic Party’s national convention as there was in 2016 and 2012. That might be because of the virtual format just not spreading enthusiasm as well as in person crowds do. LaSalle County Democratic Party Chair Dani Brzozowski says she wishes she could have been there too, but that just wasn’t a good idea with a pandemic.
The party also hasn’t had nearly as many events where people can meet the candidates. Brzozowski is scheduling what she calls a “park tour”, visiting parks throughout the 16th Congressional District in her campaign for office. She’ll be at Hegeler Park in LaSalle and Washington Park in Ottawa this weekend.
While facing the same limitations, the LaSalle County Republican Party chairman is working hard on growing the organization this election cycle. There were 38 elected precinct committeemen a few months ago. Larry Smith has appointed 37 more. With 119 precincts in LaSalle County, that still leaves a third of them open, but he continues talking to supporters about it.
The party has also had a shortage of election judges for a long time. Smith has found 300 people willing to serve for the party this November.
Smith says the work has gotten the state Republican Party’s notice.