EXTRA: No real ‘lecshun surprises

The political status quo was maintained in Chicago. That’s about the best way I can think to describe the results of all those races beyond the Republican presidential primary (which most Chicago voters could have cared less about).

ROEMER: 215 Chicagoans voted for this man

Although for the record, 25,630 Chicago residents voted for Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination. Some 11,510 city residents voted for Rick Santorum. All of which are insignificant compared to the 236,544 votes (with 27 precincts still to be counted) that Obama received for his unchallenged Democratic Party nomination.

HECK, THERE WERE 215 Chicagoans who voted for former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer’s bid – even though he long-ago said he would seek the presidency through a third-party effort instead of using the Republican Party.

But back to the other offices, which for many city residents were the “real” reason for bothering to cast a ballot on Tuesday.

Patrick D. Thompson finished third in his bid for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. But since there are three vacant seats, that means he won. Which means many people can say they helped the next generation Daley family member (he has uncles Rich, Bill and John, along with grandpa Dick) get his first electoral position.

There also are those who are upset that state Rep. Derrick Smith, D-Chicago, could possibly win on Tuesday, considering that he got busted by federal prosecutors for allegedly taking a bribe.

IT’S NOT THAT anybody really wants Smith to remain in office. It just means that when he does eventually have to go, it will be the Democratic Party establishment (the same ones that picked Smith as a fill-in last year when Annazette Collins got a “promotion” to the Illinois state Senate) that picks his replacement.

That is what those West Side voters were saying with their support for Smith.

Speaking of the state Legislature, the Illinois Senate gets an athlete who might be able to give their softball team (which plays an annual game against the Illinois House of Representatives) a jolt.

Napoleon Harris of Flossmoor got the Democratic nomination for the seat being abandoned by retiring state Sen. (and Rev.) James Meeks, D-Chicago. As of now, there is no Republican opponent. We’re talking the same Harris who played professional football with (among others) the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. He might not be an athletic “immortal,” but he’s only 33. He’s definitely in better shape physically than 99 percent of the population.

THEN, THERE IS Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., whom it seems will get to return to Washington – despite the people who were desperate to believe that he was scandal-ridden and too tainted by "Rod Blagojevich" and "sex" to be taken seriously.

Debbie Halvorson (who herself served a two-year term in Congress and wanted to return to Washington) was hoping that the extension of that far South Side and surrounding suburb district into Will County would create so many disgruntled voters that she would win the Democratic primary.

For the record, Will County voters in that district went 61 percent for Halvorson, compared to 39 percent for Jackson. Yet that translated only into 2,686 voters. Nearly as many Will County voters (2,181) picked Republican Brian Woodworth to be their nominee – and Jackson’s token opponent come Nov. 6.

There are stray wards in Chicago that could overcome that vote margin. This really was a district whose composition was rigged in Jackson’s favor.

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