Speaking at a City Club Luncheon, the Sun-Times Mary Mitchell declared (at around the 25 minute mark)

“if bill brady wakes up and he is not the governor  i think it is because he has really taken for granted that all he needs is a certain segment of the population to win this election and not doing enough to go out and court the minority vote to show he is able to understand the what the issues are outside of the communities of his own. I think he has done a poor job bringing together a constituency other than those he already has”

which made me scratch my head a bit.  I am in contact with someone on the Brady for Illinois  campaign pretty much every day, and have heard quite a bit about the outreach efforts.

A group of volunteers has recruited over 500 new Republicans to be election judges in Chicago this year, giving the Republicans a full slate of election judges for the first time in memory.  These same volunteers have distributed over 100,000 election fliers, 20,000 door hanging sets and 1500 yard signs, walking the streets in many South Side neighborhoods.

I interpret that there is a predominatnly African American Tea Party movement on the South and West Sides of Chicago that are not going to support Democrats this time, and may form the backbone of a new city-wide Republican party.

This Sunday, Bill Brady (and Pat Quinn) will appear at Rev-Sen. James Meeks House of Hope for Sunday Service.  Brady has campaign alongside Rev. Meeks on various issues, such as school choice and Wal-Mart openings.

Rev.  Issac Hayes has also campaigned alongside Brady in his battle against the entrenched Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.  Roger Keats has campaigned along with Brady in many South and West Side Districts previously written off as unwinnable by Cook County Republicans.

So aside from an higher level of support for Republicans not seen in over 50 years, Brady has done a poor job bringing together a constituency.  Perhaps it is Mitchell who is doing the poor job in understanding 2010′s election.

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John Powers is  the President of the Chicago Daily Observer