Pro-Harris rally held in Republican-leaning McHenry County as campaigns wind down

On the final Saturday before the 2024 election, dozens of people rallied in support of Democratic Party candidates and abortion rights in traditionally red-leaning McHenry County.

The event, dubbed “We won’t go back,” took place along the Route 14 corridor in Crystal Lake. While some drivers along the route honked in approval, others voiced their opposition to the rally and its stance on abortion, giving attendees a thumbs down.

Abortion rights supporters gathered in the same spot on the Fourth of July in 2022, just after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The issue was a large point of Saturday’s rally, with many in attendance holding signs with sayings such as “Abortion is healthcare.”

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, who’s running for reelection against Republican Jerry Evans, attended the rally. Foster told attendees Saturday he was here after the Dobbs decision was handed down. Foster said he had stopped by the Crystal Lake Public Library on Saturday, which is an early voting place.

“It was great to see the turnout,” Foster said.

In his remarks to the crowd, Foster also touched on the potential for McHenry County to flip to the Democratic Party, saying when he first got into politics, Kane County was solidly red. Kane County now is solidly blue.

McHenry County is the last remaining Republican county among the five collar counties around Chicago, but figures from both parties have recognized the county’s shift toward blue over the past few years.

At a pro-Trump rally in Woodstock in August that demonstrated the GOP’s remaining strength in the area, McHenry County Board Chair Mike Buehler acknowledged the political shift that has taken place in the Chicago area and that the margins are getting closer in McHenry County. Still, he said he believes his accomplishments as chair are going to resonate with the electorate. Buehler is facing a challenge to his reelection bid by Democratic county board member Kelli Wegener.

Rally attendee and Crystal Lake resident Angela Neuzil said women’s rights, the integrity of the president’s office and having someone who believes in science were some of the issues that matter to her this election.

“I think this is the most important election in modern times,” Neuzil said.

Wegener also spoke at the rally, and mentioned funding for reproductive health in the county. Wegener said in a Northwest Herald candidate questionnaire: “We must also start accepting federal funding for women’s health care, which the current administration is leaving on the table, despite it having no impact on taxes.”

In a nod to a Harris campaign mantra, Wegener led the crowd in a chant: “When we fight, we win.”

Other Democrats also were present, including Mary Mahady, who is running against state Rep. Steve Reick for House District 63, and Chris Kalapodis, who is trying to unseat McHenry County Coroner Michael Rein.

Republicans running for county offices and the state Legislature in McHenry County, though, have generally enjoyed more prominence, more advertising, more money and more party organization around their candidacies this election cycle.

Theresa Dudenhoefer said she was out shopping and didn’t know about the rally but was supportive of it. She stopped by and happened to be wearing a shirt that read, “Vote: removes stubborn orange stains.” She recalled visiting Washington, D.C., for a NOW rally and said abortion rights already have been lost and doesn’t want to go “back to the medieval ages.”

Organizer Corinna Sac, the former owner of Uprising Bakery in Lake in the Hills, which closed in 2023 following months of harassment after it announced plans to host an all-ages drag brunch, said the goal of the rally was to inspire people in the final days of the election and show what’s at stake. The rally also was intended to show “there’s more than five Democrats in McHenry County,” Sac said.

The rally was put on by the Young Democrats of McHenry County, NOW McHenry County and the Young Illinoisans for Harris. Sac estimated about 200 people showed up for Saturday’s event.

Attendee Monica Stokke was holding signs for Democratic candidates at the rally. Stokke said she serves as a precinct committeeperson in Oakwood Hills and that people in town are welcoming and friendly, even when there’s political disagreements.

“People are kind and welcoming,” Stokke said. “It’s an awesome place to live.”