Barack Obama elected President in historic election

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ In Randolph County, one of the bluest counties in the blue State of Illinois, Democrat Barack Obama, the winner of the U.S. Presidential contest in Tuesday's national election, lost to his Republican rival John McCain by 149 votes.

In the historic election, which saw the United States elect a black man President for the first time, voters turned out in large numbers. In Randolph County 62.5 percent of 24,624 registered voters cast ballots.

Of the 38 precincts in Randolph County, almost half went for each candidate-20 for McCain and 18 for Obama. Actually, there's only 38 precincts in Randolph County. The "precinct" on the final summary listed as PRES consisted of unregistered voters voting for president only. The total vote count in this category was 18, with ten voting for Obama and eight for McCain.

Obama's strongest support came in Coulterville 2 (62.9%) and Sparta 1 (62.6%). Obama did especially well in Sparta winning five of six precincts and in Coulterville, where Coulterville 1 also went for Obama (60.7%).

The closest contest was in Chester 4, where McCain won 49.5 percent of the vote to Obama's 47.5 percent. In Steeleville 3, McCain beat Obama by two and one-half percentage points (50.5% to 48%). Obama's closest win came in Steeleville1 (50.6% to 47.7%).

McCain's strongest support came in Red Bud 1 (60.7%) and Chester 1 (60.2%). McCain won six of seven precincts in Chester and all four precincts in Red Bud. Two of Steeleville's three precincts went for McCain.

The 2008 election featured on the Republican ticket the oldest man to ever seek a first term. McCain, who is 72, is the third Vietnam veteran to seek the presidency and as with former Vice President Al Gore and Senator John Kerry, both Democrats, McCain lost.

Senator McCain's running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, was only the second female to run for Vice President. Like former New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, who was the first woman to run on a national ticket, Palin failed to win the office. Ferraro ran with former Vice President Walter Mondale in an unsuccessful campaign against President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush in 1984.

America has yet to elect a female to either of the highest offices in the land. Many thought this year would see the first female presidential candidate, with Senator Hillary Clinton of New York the favorite in the Democratic primaries. The former First Lady lost, however, to Obama

Neither McCain nor Obama won 50 percent of the Randolph vote, with McCain collecting 49.5 percent to Obama's 48.5 percent. For the state as a whole, Obama easily won with 61 percent of the vote.

In all, 15,391 ballots were cast in Randolph County in the presidential race. Presidential candidates from various parties collected almost two percent of the vote, with Independent Ralph Nader garnering the most, 133 votes, almost one percent. Libertarian Bob Barr received 49 votes, two more than Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney. CPI candidate Charles O. Baldwin received 35, and there were five votes cast for the New Party's John J. Polachek. There were also 43 write-ins.

No Republican other than McCain won in the county. In fact, only one of four Randolph County offices on the ballot was even contested. And, in that race for a seat on the County Board of Commissioners, incumbent board Chairman Terry Moore, a Democrat, prevailed in a hard fought race, winning with 7,701 votes to Republican David Holder's 6,964.

Holder of Baldwin won only 12 precincts, though, including solid wins in the four heavily populated Red Bud precincts. He and Moore split the six Sparta precincts. He also won in Baldwin, Bremen, Central, Kaskaskia, and Rockwood. Moore of Chester swept that city's seven precincts, as well as the three precincts in Steeleville and the two in Coulterville. .. He won, too, in the smaller precincts of Brewerville, Ellis Grove, Evansville, Palestine, Percy, Prairie du Rocher, Ruma, Tilden, Walsh, and Wine Hill.

In the other county races-all uncontested-Democrat incumbents Barb Brown, Randall J. Rodewald, and Randy Dudenbostel won reelection. Dudenbostel received 12,492 votes, for Coroner; Brown received 12,283 votes for Circuit Clerk; and Rodewald received 12,167 votes for States Attorney.

Judge James M. Wexstten, a Democrat, ran unopposed and was reelected to the Fifth District Appellate Court. He received 11,297 votes.

In other national contests, Democrat incumbents won handily, as expected. U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin was re-elected with more than 60 percent of the vote, easily defeating Republican Steve Sauerberg (36%) and third party candidates Kathy Cummings, Larry A. Stafford, and Chad N. Koppie.

Congressman Jerry F. Costello was re-elected with the largest majority of any vote-getter in the election. Costello won 73 percent of the ballots cast, defeating his Republican challenger Timmy Richardson Jr. by more than 7,100 votes. Green Party candidate Rodger W. Jennings received 319 votes, a bit more than two percent.

Rep. Dan Reitz, running unopposed, kept his set in the General Assembly representing Illinois 116 District. He received 12,369 votes.

Randolph County voters approved all five judges for retention as judges of the Circuit Court, 20th Judicial Circuit. They were Richard P. Goldenhersh, Michael J. O'Malley, James W. Campanella, Dennis Doyle, and Annette A. Eckert. Eckert received the highest percentage of yes votes, 76 percent. O' Malley received yes votes on 75.6 percent of the ballots, Doyle and Goldenhersh each had 74 percent and Campanella received 73 percent.

Also Tuesday voters were asked to decide whether or not the state should convene a constitutional convention. In Randolph County there was little doubt about the matter. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposal. Nearly 78 percent of the voters voted no.

Voters in Steeleville were asked if the village should elect in 2009 a Village Clerk to serve a term of two years and thereafter elect a Village Clerk to serve a term of four years. The measure passed. With 752 (82%) yes votes.