One of the classic Christmas movies these days is “Home Alone.” A huge hit in the 1990s, it is now peak nostalgia for people like me, who first saw it as a child. The movie, for those unaware, centers on young Kevin McCallister defending his home from robbers when his family accidently leaves him at home during a Christmas trip to Paris. As Home Alone has cemented itself as a Christmas staple, the internet has enjoyed poking fun at the movie by asking the questions we never considered as a kid – HOW RICH IS THIS FAMILY? As adults, we suddenly realize – “wait, how much does that mansion of a house cost, and how can they afford to fly to Paris during the holidays with 13 people?” Official novelizations of the movie say that Kevin’s father, Peter, is a businessman and his mother, Kate, is a fashion designer. Clearly they both do very well. Seriously, look at this house!
A good layout of the house can be found here, and it is currently valued at $1.9 MILLION.
The McCallister family wealth has been discussed plenty before. I want to take a different approach. I decided, with this being an election year and all, to take a look at how the McCallister neighborhood voted.
Winnetka, Illinois
The McCallisters are said to live in the Chicago area. Indeed the house used for the movie is in the Chicago metro zone. The house is located in the village of Winnetka – which sits on the Northeast end of Cook County proper – outside the city of Chicago itself. Matching the narrative of the McCallisters, the area is the 2nd richest in Illinois – and 13th overall in the nation! It is overwhelmingly white and has an average family income of over $250,000. Less than 2% of the population is under the poverty line. Google maps is littered with mansions and lavish homes.
So, a bunch of very rich, white voters. The question then emerged, how would the McCallisters and their neighbors vote? Well, the voting history of the area does point to a GOP pocket in the otherwise-blue Cook County. However, the age of Trump has caused many of these voters to align more with the Democrats – a story told out in upper-income suburbs across the country.
In 2012, Mitt Romney beat Barack Obama by a solid 12% in Winnetka. Just a few weeks ago, Joe Biden took 67% of the vote in this same community.
The voting precinct that houses the McCallister house went from steady Romney to 68% Biden. This is a stunning shift over an eight year period. Of course, the other elections point to a complex picture for the village.
I looked back at major statewide races in Illinois from 2008 through 2020.
The village has largely backed Republicans. It voted for Obama in his huge 2008 win. Likewise it backed Senator Dick Durbin – who had a landslide re-election that same year. After that, however, it steadily voted GOP – often by large margins. Through the years – it was consistently to the right of the state as a whole. Then came 2016, where Trump lost the village by 30 points – making the first time the village was to the left of the state. This reflected the suburban aversion to Trump. That same day, however, the state voted for Mark Kirk for US Senate. However, it should be noted Kirk did represent the region in Congress before becoming a Senator. The village voted solidly GOP for Governor two years later as well. Then came 2020. Trump managed to do even worse in the village – and Durbin managed a decent win after losing it in 2014.
Trump has drastically hurt the GOP brand with suburbs. But, like so many white wealthy areas, Winnetka splits its tickets often. The village narrowly voted Democrat for Clerk of the Circuit Court this year (51-49) but overwhelmingly GOP for State’s Attorney (31-65).
It would not surprise me if the district moved back to GOP candidates more in 2022’s midterms.
The village’s voting on ballot measures also reveals a similar theme with upper income voters: opposition to taxes but a growing acceptance of marijuana. A 2018 non-binding referendum on marijuana won by 20 points in Winnetka. Meanwhile, a 2020 proposal to institute a progressive tax in the state failed with just 27% support.
So what can we presume about the voting habits of the McCallister family? Well, if they are anything like their neighbors – they shake their head at that Donald Trump fella and backed Biden while splitting their tickets further down ballot. You can also bet Kevin’s parents didn’t back that tax measure. Hey, those trips to Paris aren’t cheap. And after a long day of work, mom and dad probably like to sit back and enjoy a joint once and awhile.