Delco Dems now outnumber GOP

If something feels a bit different in Delaware County when you go to the polls next month, here's why: Democratic voters now outnumber Republican voters in the longtime GOP stronghold. For the first time ever.

The Democrats' new registration edge is only 664 voters, but we're talking about a place where the last time a Democrat beat a Republican in a countywide race, booze was still illegal. It was the 1933 sheriff's race and – oh, who cares?

Anyway, things are changing in Delco and the other suburban counties. I've been monitoring these changes for the past decade, since I covered politics at the Delaware County Daily Times, prior to arriving at the Daily News. Gotta admit, it took longer than I'd expected for the Democrats to gain a registration advantage. But, here we are.

"The machine is still there. It's very much present in the county courthouse. But, out in the real world, you don't have to be registered as a Republican to have your trash collected anymore," said Delaware County Democratic Party Chairman David Landau.

The "machine" is the formerly omnipotent organization built by the late Republican party boss/bootlegger/state senator John McClure. There's a whole book about that guy, if you're interested.

The problem for Democrats: Even though they now have more voters to work with, the Republicans are still better at getting their people to the polls. We'll find out next month if the Democrats can make any inroads at the Media courthouse, which is still an all-Republican operation.

PoliticsPA flagged the County Council race as one to watch this year. Some Democratic insiders think they have an even better shot at picking up a Court of Common Pleas seat.

Of course, I've heard these things before. I have no doubt that the Democrats will, in Landau's words, "make history" by cracking the GOP's courthouse monopoly. It's just a matter of when.