Everyone knows that Chicago is an indigo city in a solidly blue state. This is the land of the Democratic primary that’s treated like a general election. But there are Republicans even here. And three wards on the southwest side saw a majority of those registered with the GOP vote for Trump in the primary.
Krupa was happy to have the day off from school due to a parent-teacher conference. He describes himself as a “day-one Trump supporter” and hopes Trump’s law-and-order politics will shake up both the “inner city” (which he defined as “State and Madison”) and his own neighborhood.
A few blocks west, on 63rd Street, three old-timers gather at the “asshole corner” of the bar, as the patrons put it, attached to Miska’s Liquors, cracking jokes and watching Jeopardy. They sip beer and munch on chips and hummus set out by Kathy, the bartender. Drew, a Polish-American fireman, says he wrote in a candidate for president. Joe, an Italian-American barber, admits he voted for Trump. Ray, an Irish-American retiree, stayed mum on his choices. No one seemed enthused about the election, which feels like choosing between “shit and diarrhea” according to Drew. “They don’t talk about anything! They talk about what she did wrong, who he groped, how many e-mails—let’s talk about the issues!”
