Chicago

Does Having An Irish Name Help You Get Elected In Chicago?

Does Having An Irish Name Help You Get Elected In This City?
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FILE - In this May 4, 2011, file photo, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley presides over his final City Council meeting in Chicago. An investigation published in the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, found that the former mayor was able to greatly expand his pension while saving $400,000 in contributions. Thanks to some maneuvering within the state pension system, Daley receives benefits totaling nearly $184,000 a year. That's about $50,000 more than he would have otherwise received. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

One of the fun details in Albert Klumpp's study of Cook County judicial elections—which I wrote about at some length in my previous post—is his exploration of a familiar belief: in Cook County, an Irish surname is a massive electoral advantage. It's something I've always been a bit skeptical of; the city's clearly not post-racial, but I figured at this point it would be post-Irish.

Klumpp's finding? It is, basically.

Read more on Chicagomag.com

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