CHICAGO – Despite Barack Obama easily winning the Illinois Democrat primary Tuesday night, 200 Hillary Clinton followers gathered in Chicago to show that not everybody in the state is rooting for the junior senator.
“Not everybody’s drinking the Kool-Aid,” said Clinton campaign volunteer Kevin DuJan, 31, wearing a bright red “Hot for Hillary” T-shirt.
DuJan and other supporters, including Clinton’s long-time best friend, were upbeat as they watched the results on several big-screen televisions at Junior’s Sports Lounge in Chicago. A sign on the door read “Clinton Country,” and the inside of the building was covered with stickers and signs proclaiming “Hillary for President” and “Ready.”
Sitting at a table in the back of the room, frantically checking the different TV stations for the latest results, was Illinois resident Betsy Ebeling, Clinton’s best friend since grade school.
“Did Hillary dream of being president (in grade school)?” Ebeling said. “That was so long ago, girls didn’t have those dreams.”
Ebeling stood next to Kevin O’Keefe, director of the Clinton campaign in Illinois, as he spoke to the crowd of supporters.
“First we congratulate Senator Obama on his victory,” said O’Keefe, a former White House official during President Bill Clinton’s administration. “We did our best to make him work for it.”
O’Keefe said the Clinton campaign would surprise analysts by winning more than 30 percent of the Illinois delegates, and they were “very happy with that.” His speech was greeted with chants of “Hillary! Hillary!” in the crowded bar.
Early CNN projections Tuesday night put Clinton at 25 Illinois delegates to Obama’s 47.
Event attendees said they were focused more on the national picture than Illinois results alone, and said they were very happy with the result.
“She’s done very well. She’s won a whole bunch of states, and states that Obama thought they were going to win,” said O’Keefe, even as results from only a few states were in.
DuJan said he thought the New York senator would win more states than Obama and come out ahead by 70 to 100 delegates.
With results still being tabulated as of press time, the Associated Press projected that Clinton received 445 delegates from the Super Tuesday races, while Obama took home 409 delegates.
Organizers said the party was also a celebration of the hard work put in by the volunteers in Illinois working for Clinton.
One of those volunteers is DuJan, who said he used his own money to lead a “Hill-sistence” movement for Clinton. He said he organized many events in multiple states, as well as phone banks in his home to call potential voters and other measures.
“I love her so much I’ll bake for her,” said DuJan. “I’m a lazy guy, (so) for me to wake up early and make cupcakes is saying a lot.”
Not all volunteers at the event were grassroots organizers. One of Clinton’s largest donors, Trevian Kutti, was also in attendance to celebrate. The 33-year-old Chicago business owner, who said her contributions to the campaign reached tens of thousands of dollars, said she supported Clinton from the beginning.
“I love her,” said Kutti, dancing wildly while chanting. “You go girl. Kill ’em, Hill ’em, kill ’em. Go Hillary, go Hillary, go Hillary!”
Many volunteers and supporters at the event were equally passionate about their candidate.
“Obama talks about change – I think the only thing he’s ever changed is his pants,” DuJan said. “Hillary’s changed the world already.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at [email protected]
