Imagine my surprise when a local political scientist described it as “Switzerland.”Clearly, there are no mountains, alpine lakes, or Lederhosen, but in terms of Illinois politics, it makes perfect sense. We spent time in Rockford and Winnebago County recently because it is stuffed with swing voters. Since 1980, Winnebago County has an amazing track record voting for the winning Presidential candidate in seven of the last elections. Nearly 45% of American voters describe themselves as centrists, and we call them America’s Political Orphans in our podcast www.lostmiddle.com. Scott Klug hosts the national political podcast “Lost in the Middle: America’s Political Orphans.” He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991-1999 and is a former TV news anchor.

Source: Forbes February 03, 2024 09:34 UTC