ELECTION DAY: MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL TO FACE JESUS 'CHUY' GARCIA IN APRIL RUNOFF ELECTION
CHICAGO (WLS) --
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will face Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in a runoff election in April.The former White House chief of staff easily led the five-way race in Tuesday's contest. However, because he failed to get more than 50 percent, he and Garcia will run against each other in April for the job.
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Chicago voters will also elected a city clerk, city treasurer and the aldermen in each of the the city's 50 wards, but the mayoral election was the main event. Despite the cold weather and reports of low voter turnout earlier on Tuesday, Rahm Emanuel took nothing for granted.
"You always have on Election Day butterflies and that continues to be that way," Emanuel said.
The mayor's lunch with Secretary of State Jesse White, City Clerk Susana Mendoza and Congressman Luis Gutierrez was a photo op to showcase support from black and Latino political leaders.
"It's not about personality contests. It's about getting things done for the people of Chicago," Mendoza said.
Earlier, the mayor joined the phone bank in the predominantly African American 8th Ward.
"He's going to do OK. His numbers are up. I think he's over the 50th percentile," said 8th Ward Ald. Michelle Harris.
The mayor's difficulty with black voters appeared to persist in the nearby 21st Ward, but the turnout here might help the incumbent.
"People are not talking too favorably about the mayor," said Doris Lewis-Brooks, candidate for alderman. "The numbers that I'm getting, they're kind of low."
Despite his incumbency, money and endorsements, a weekend poll showed Emanuel closer, but still short of a 50 percent plus one majority. He was asked if he'd been humbled by the tougher-than-expected campaign.
"I got three teenagers at home and a wife. Don't worry about humble," Emanuel said.
EMANUEL'S CHALLENGERS VIE FOR RUNOFF
Election Day was a cold day in what will most probably be the coldest February ever in Chicago. It's not the kind of day that Emanuel's challengers would have preferred, but none of the four is abandoning the quest for a runoff. They all want to sink the idea of 50 plus one, and each proclaims that he is the one who'll do it - but forcing a runoff means your supporters have to vote.
When Garcia and his wife went to cast their ballots Tuesday in the Lawndale neighborhood, they were the only voters in their polling place. But it was mid-morning, not necessarily an accurate snapshot of turnout where Garcia must have it.
"A lot of our most reliable voters vote after working. We are a working class community, and that is our greatest strength," Garcia said.
Garcia says he has an army of 4,000 volunteers, and by day's end, the numbers will say "runoff."
"Hi, I'm Dr. Willie Wilson, may I shake your hand?" Wilson said.
Handshakes are a political staple, but Willie Wilson wasn't keen on lunchtime intrusion, so he made it a point to ask first. Wilson is distressed at what he contends are voting irregularities in some polling places, but he too predicts victory.
"I feel good about it. It's my first time in the election so obviously we're gonna think positive about it. We feel good," Wilson said.
Turnout was light when another candidate, Walls, cast his ballot Tuesday morning on the city's West Side. The same was true for Fioretti, who feels good about his campaign's 70,000 "live" calls over the weekend, but not so good about the weather, which he calls an "incumbent's protection".
"I'm very worried about the cold weather. It's impacting everywhere we've gone," Fioretti said.
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