St. Charles County delivered big for John McCain and most other Republican candidates on Tuesday. But a big exception was in the County Council’s 6th District - where 12-year Republican incumbent Dan Foust lost, 55-45 percent, to Democrat Jerry Daugherty.

Daugherty, a Portage des Sioux alderman, says he surprised Foust with a blitz of cable TV commercials, mailings, yard signs and literature drops timed for the last four or so days before the election. “Oust Foust” was a slogan on some items. After a low-key effort up until then, Daugherty said, “we just caught him off-guard.”

Daugherty and Foust - the council chairman - both cited the support Daugherty got from labor unions, especially firefighters’ groups. The blunt-spoken Foust for years has clashed with firefighter unions, alleging they have too much influence in fire district boards’ and the St. Charles City Council’s decisions on pay and other issues.

Daugherty also got help from another political force that Foust tangled with over the years - brewery scion Adolphus Busch IV, who founded an environmental group opposed to flood-plain development. About half of the $27,000 raised by Daugherty’s campaign came from Busch. Foust raised about $9,000 overall.

County GOP Chairman Tom Kuypers said Daugherty simply outworked Foust, who didn’t go door to door or mail any brochures this time around. “Quite frankly, he just didn’t campaign, and people in this county expect you to show up at their door,” Kuypers said.

Foust, of St. Charles, acknowledged being “a very casual politician” who relied on his years of council service to make his case. “If they like me, they keep me,” he said of voters. “It just says they were tired of me and they wanted something new.”

The council district overlaps much of the House district won Tuesday by Democrat Kenny Biermann. Biermann edged Republican Rep. Vicki Schneider of O’Fallon in a rematch of their 2006 race. GOP candidates won all other council, House and Senate races in the county.