McHenry County Blog

The “hardest campaigner” award in McHenry County surely must go to Johnsburg Democrat Mary Margaret Maule.

When I talked to her Sunday, I asked her how many doors she had knocked on during her campaign for one of the two county board seats up for grabs in the district running from McHenry north to Richmond and Spring Grove and west to Wonder Lake.

“I had 10,000 walk pieces printed and I ran out of them 2 weeks before the election,” Maule told me. “I’d say about 7,000 households.

“There were (only) three precincts I never stepped into. The two precincts in Johnsburg that I did not work personally were the only two that I didn’t carry.”

Although it is way too early to announce that one is running in 2008 (filing is just over 1 year away), I got the feeling that Maule will figure out whatever mistakes she made this time and make fewer in any future run.

Consider this comment:

I’ll lay my credentials against anyone who is serving in the 4th district.

Why would Maule say that if running again in 2008 were not under consideration?

Incumbents up then are Republicans Sue Draffkorn and John Hammerand, both with Wonder Lake addresses.

Maule reflected on how she had spent less time knocking on doors during June that since then in order to spend more time with her daughter, who was entering the Navy.

“In June I spent more time with my daughter than I did on the campaign trial because she was leaving to join the Navy,” she said.

“I think if I had those four weeks back, this would have been a very different outcome.”

So, what did Maule accomplish in her run for the county board?

“I think what I did was at least give people a reason to consider a different choice,” she replied.

Some can remember when a Democratic Party candidate would not be taken seriously.

Maule’s candidacy shows that an energetic Democratic Party candidate with $10,000 can run a competitive campaign for county board.

Of course, finding energetic candidates and putting together than amount of money is not something easily replicated.

I’ve suggested that I think female candidates have a built-in 5-percentage point advantage, but only if the woman

Maule agrees that “women have a slight lift,” but thinks it is less and only if the woman “is a qualified candidate.”

As to why she lost, Maule made an observation that may have validity:

I don’t think people thought they could vote for two women. (Any reader thoughts on that?)

I think it was a three-way race. There were 18,000 some odd votes cast. From the top to the bottom there was about an 800-vote difference. There was as big a gap (in the unofficial vote totals) between Peter and Sandra as between Sandra and I.

I think people had a harder time voting for two women, which why I think the vote results turned out the way they were.

This is the first vote Peter turned out to be the lead candidate.

I asked Maule if she could turn her volunteers into Democratic Party precinct committeemen.

“Yeah. I think I can,” she replied.

If she does, she could end up the most powerful Democrat in McHenry Township.

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Photo is of Maule volunteers on a rainy day at the Johnsburg parade. Will any of them beccome Democratic precinct committeemen. At the top is the walk piece.