DuPage County has long been a stronghold for the Republican Party in the Chicago area and Illinois, but more ballots were cast for Democratic candidates than Republicans in Tuesday’s presidential primaries in the county.

Voters filled out 132,144 ballots for Democratic presidential candidates, while 108,317 were cast for GOP candidates, according to unofficial election results as of Thursday morning.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois grabbed the most DuPage County votes of any presidential candidate with 81,176. On the Republican side, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, on the heels of campaign stops Feb. 1 in Villa Park and Oakbrook Terrace, received 57,428 votes.

In second place for the Democrats was U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York with 48,799 votes. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who campaigned Sunday at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, came in second among Republicans with 29,885 votes. Romney dropped out of the race Thursday.

In the 2004 presidential primaries, voters pulled 63,951 Democratic ballots and 86,993 Republican ballots, according to election records.

“It’s exciting to see these election results but we still have our work cut out for us,” Bob Peickert, chairman of Operation Turn DuPage Blue, said in a written statement. “I know if all Democrats in DuPage do their part between now and November, we can help our country get back on track and bring two-party government to DuPage County at the same time.”

State Sen. Dan Cronin, R-21st District, of Elmhurst, chairman of the DuPage Republican Party, said there could be many reasons that independents and Republicans voted in the Democratic primary, including Obama’s favorite son status and crossover appeal.

Cronin said he knows some Republicans who pulled Democratic ballots to vote for Clinton, because they believe she will be an easier opponent for the Republican nominee to defeat.