Elrod's reaction

Machine candidates were often dismissive of Independent political organizations, claiming those groups were not at all effective.

But those who attended Independent endorsement sessions were noticeably impressed as they entered halls crammed with volunteers whom they knew were likely to campaign against them.

Those same Machine candidates took note when their adversaries were suffering setbacks. When Cook County Sheriff Richard Elrod ran for a third term in 1978, he attended an endorsement session of the Independent Precinct Organization (IPO) and was heard quietly saying to a member of his entourage, “This is it?”