Nov. 5, 2019.
Mark down the date.
It's not often you get the chance to witness history.
And it was without question a historic night in Delaware County politics.
How historic?
Something happened yesterday that has never happened before.
Ever.
Delaware County is now Democratic turf.
County Dems continued their winning ways, sweeping all three seats up for grabs on Delaware County Council. Building on their wins two years ago, Tuesday's big wins mean that the county's ruling body, which for decades routinely spit out 5-0 Republican rulings, has been turned upside down.
Or, as all those campaign signs that littered the county proclaimed, Delco has 'flipped.'
Democrats now have turned the tables on their GOP counterparts, and hold a 5-0 ironclad grip on county government.
Democrats Monica Taylor, Elaine Schaefer and Christine Reuther took the stage in a raucous scene at the Inn at Swarthmore and claimed victory.
They will now join Kevin Madden and Brian Zidek, who posted wins two years ago.
And that's not all.
They also seized control of the District Attorney's Office. Incumbent Republican Kat Copeland, who was appointed to the post after former D.A. Jack Whelan won a seat on the county bench, was toppled by Democrat challenger Jack Stollsteimer.
And they rolled to wins in four county judge races as well.
Don't call it a blue wave. This was more like a blue tsunami.
Democrats have been building toward this for a few years. Last night it crested, boosted by a stunning 40 percent turnout in a non-presidential race. In recent years, turnout in these affairs has struggled to hit 25 percent.
Not this time.
Two years ago, Republicans blamed devastating setbacks as a statement on a very unpopular president. No doubt they will make the same claim today. They will have company. Democrats also posted big wins next door in Chester County, taking control of county commissioners and winning a D.A. race there as well. And keep in mind that Chester County, unlike Delco and the other suburban counties, still has a Republican edge in voter registration.
Historic doesn't quite seem to explain it.
On today's front page, we took a different tack.
D-Day.
Delco is a Democratic town.
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