The cookie caucus: McCain holding local lead over Obama in bake-off
With a presidential campaign as long as the one that's going on now, who can wait to vote?
For more than a year candidates have been sparring for the Oval Office. Now, it's down to two, John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and Barack Obama, a Democrat from Illinois.
And it's down to four weeks until the official ballots are cast.
But voters don't have to wait that long to vote with their mouths.
They can go to the Piece-A-Cake Bakery in East Dundee and buy a cookie or candidate of their choice. The U.S. Senator that sells the most cookies may just be the next commander and chief.
"There's nothing scientific about this," said Roger Ahrens, who owns the North River Street bakery with his wife, Diane. "Diane did this in the last presidential election. It was a lot of fun."
It wasn't her idea though. Members of the Retail Bakers' Association started the sweet campaign four years ago. This year, the owners of 26 bakeries across the country will blend and shape the cookies into the two candidates, American flags and the symbols of both parties.
Ahrens can't remember if President George Bush won then, but customers had a good time with the confections and the contest.
The iced sugar cookies have likenesses of the candidates faces on them
"And if people don't want to buy a cookie of the candidates, we have some of elephants and donkeys for the political parties they belong to," Ahrens said.
Right around now the political cookies are becoming popular. People buy them by the dozen for their fundraisers or other gatherings."
As of Friday of last week, the Republican cookies were out selling the Democrats' cookies, 28-18 in the East Dundee bakery. In other RBA members stores, Democrats were leading 481 to 346 of the Republican treats, a news release stated.
But there's still time to tip the scales in the other direction or put the Republicans over the top.
More information about the national cookie campaign can be found at the association's Web site: www.rbanet.com.
"This is one campaign when we can honestly say 'Vote early and vote often,'" Ahrens said.