Day's main political base, like Dimora's, is in the southeast suburbs. His political standing is boosted by the fact that 14 suburbs send their cases to Bedford Municipal Court, where Day has been clerk since late 1987.

Like Dimora, Day lives in Independence, where he, his father and one of his brothers are precinct committee members.

But Day's alliances extend beyond the southeast suburbs to other wings of the party, including black Democrats. It remains to be seen if that relationship has been hurt by his support for Reid, who is white, in the county sheriff's election. The other candidate in the vote was Clayton Harris, who is black and had Fudge's support. Fudge declined to be interviewed.

And Day's ties to the Mason-DePiero wing of the party are arguably as strong as his connection to Dimora and Russo. Day and Mason, for example, own a political consulting business together.

His brother, Brian, is a Parma councilman who has worked in the county recorder's office for former Mason ally Pat O'Malley, who is serving a federal prison sentence on obscenity charges. Brian Day now works for Frank Russo in the auditor's office. Brian Day's wife, Colleen, was the county party's executive director until last year.