Elections for judgeships in Chicago have sometimes been called ''the Irish Sweepstakes,'' given the names of the usual victors. In one campaign for a Cook County judge last year, voters were given a choice between James Patrick McCarthy and Bonnie Fitzgerald McGrath, who happened to be Jewish. Mr. McCarthy emerged as the victor, most likely because he was a Democrat, which can still trump the opposition in most Chicago wards. But for the time being the Chicago descendants of those immigrants seem to have had the last word even though they are outnumbered by Americans whose ancestors came from Germany, Eastern Europe, Africa and Mexico. Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park.
O'Hare airport is named for a World War II hero.
An Irish-American has been mayor for all but nine of the past 66 years, including the first Mayor Daley, whose ''idea of affirmative action was nine Irishmen and a Swede,'' his press secretary, Frank Sullivan, once said. It is a different world for his son, who has put together a diverse City Hall team. Nearly half of black voters supported Mr. Daley in his landslide victory last month. Alderman Mathias Bauler in the 1950's wrote a ditty that said while most immigrant groups detested each other, they would all vote for an Irishman. Privacy Information Stay connected to the news that interests you with free e-mail alerts from The New York Times.