Democrats continue winning streak

The last time Bloomington saw a Republican mayor, Richard Nixon was president of the United States, Watergate was gaining public attention and the country was consumed by the Vietnam War. Since then, Bloomington has been run by a string of Democratic mayors, beginning with the election of the late Frank McCloskey in 1972. Tuesday's election guaranteed another four years of a Democratic mayor in Bloomington.\nMark Kruzan defeated Republican mayoral candidate Fred Prall by a margin of 3,037 votes on Tuesday to become the next mayor. The final tally showed that 67 percent of voters wanted Kruzan as their next mayor. \nMaria Heslin, Kruzan's campaign manager, said Bloomington voters elected Kruzan because of his unique vision for the city, not merely because Bloomington wanted a Democratic mayor. \n"Mark's vision led this whole campaign," Heslin said. "He's incredibly creative, and he really got out there and learned all about Bloomington. And we were able to, as a team, communicate his vision to the community."\nKruzan attributes much of his success to the inclusiveness of his campaign, rather than purely the Democratic strength of Bloomington.\n"We have been completely volunteer driven, and I'm very proud of how involved Bloomington residents, including students, have been in the campaign," Kruzan said. "I think that was one of our greatest successes, and I think we've done the best job of including students in this campaign."\nKruzan's election and the now 36-year Democratic winning streak has lead many people to assume that this region of Indiana is largely Democratic. \nRussell Hanson, an IU political science professor, thinks that there is much more to this issue.\n"I think it's important to see two elections at a time here," Hanson said. "It is true that the city of Bloomington is disproportionately Democratic. But on the other hand, the surrounding county is largely Republican. In the last election, Republicans did extremely well at a county level, whereas Democrats took control of the city itself. Taken as a whole, the sides are politically balanced."\nRepublican candidate for city clerk Matt Stevenson said he believes the Republican Party can gain control again in Bloomington.\n"They've been in control for awhile," Stevenson said. "On one hand, part of me says that they are in control because that's what the people of Bloomington want. But on the other hand, it's never good to have a party that much in control because it can make the other side complacent. I do think, however, eventually there will be a Republican mayor."\n-- Contact staff writer Sarah Schwimmer at sschwimm@indiana.edu.