North Siders Party With Patch, Cheer for Obama

Ebonie Durham didn't flinch as election results began trickling in Tuesday night, showing Mitt Romney taking an early lead in electoral votes. 

"I'm not worried," she said, pulling up a voter map of the U.S. on her iPad.

The 28-year-old West Garfield Park resident was among about 30 people at the North Side Patch Election Party at Beer Bistro, 1415 W. Fullerton Ave., in Lincoln Park. A thunderous applause filled the upstairs party area of the bar around 11:30 p.m., when an announcement affirmed Barack Obama as president of the United States. 

"I told you!" Durham said, later adding that, "I just wish Americans didn't get so caught up in the drama and hype of the polls. It was very straight-forward who would be the winner of this election."

Not everyone was so confident.

"I was very very nervous," Lincoln Park resident Kait Sawyer, 27, said, while seated beside her sister. "I'm so giddy right now. This is what's right for America."

Party goers soon began clapping while chanting, "four more years." Despite a clearly "blue" group, the room glowed green with Patch gear. An army of Patch water bottles with balloons attached decorated a front table along with magnets and tote bags.

Attendees enjoyed free appetizers and food specials, many opting to order drinks on their tabs.

Meredith McQuiston was among them. A resident of the Loop, she recently moved from a very politically different area—Dallas, TX.

"It's really nice to live in a blue state and still have my vote count," she said, with a smile. "This feels right."