Will County Gazette

Yvonne Bolton knew plenty of Democrats growing up as a self-described “proud Christian conservative Latina,” her father among them.

But Bolton, who in 2014 ran as a Republican for the state House in the 98th District before recently moving to Indiana, says she no longer recognizes the Democratic Party. She says that when she heard that a DuPage County Democratic candidate joked on social media about a law enforcement officer being struck in the face by a projectile during a riot in Portland, Oregon, that it made her shake her head.

And when the Democratic congressman who represents that area in the western suburbs declined to denounce the incident, Bolton reaffirmed that she just doesn’t recognize the Democratic Party anymore.

Yvonne Bolton | Twitter

“Seriously, the party of my father, and JFK is unrecognizable,” she said. “My father, if he were still alive today, would never be aligned with these people. For that matter, I seriously doubt that JFK would be allowed to be one of them.”

Bolton was dismayed when nominee for the DuPage County Board District 4 seat Hadiya Afzal (D-Glen Ellyn) tweeted a video of the law enforcement officer being struck in the melee.

“I’ve been watching this on repeat for 15 minutes and laughing every single time,” Afzal tweeted on July 26.

The candidate received a firestorm of criticism, quickly apologized and withdrew from the race.

"As a young activist, I made the decision to run for office in DuPage County Board District 4 to bring progressive policy changes for the community I grew up in and care deeply for," Afzal wrote. "Early Sunday morning, I posted a personal tweet regarding the protests in Portland, Oregon. My post was in poor taste and doesn't reflect the values I was raised with and hold dear. I do not support or condone violence in any form. I appreciate and support the role that law enforcement plays in keeping our communities safe."

However, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, like Afzal a progressive who has assumed a central role in DuPage County's new-look Democratic Party, did not criticize her for the post. In fact, he has said nothing about it. 

“They are America haters, and everything that represents,” Bolton said. “The values that most Americans hold dear. Sean Casten and his cohorts are prime examples of that. While the rest of us desperately want to keep our families safe, they push forward an agenda of mayhem and violence.”

Bolton said police officers deserve support, not scorn, but they have been turned into villains by liberals because of the mistakes of some officers.

“Yes, let's get rid of the very people that are in the front lines first, putting their lives on the lines every time they walk out the door to protect us,” she said. “For what? A leftist propaganda mostly driven by misguided hate.”

Bolton said she has the solution. It involves getting involved and getting to the polls Nov. 3.

“The only way to stop this evil is to vote them out,” she said.