Although incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel got more votes than any other candidate for mayor in Chicago’s Feb 24 election, he didn’t get the required 50 percent plus one to be re-elected, forcing the race into a two-person runoff.
Approximate vote totals:
- Rahm Emanuel: 45.4 percent
- Jesus “Chuy” Garcia: 33.9 percent
- Willie Wilson: 10.6 percent
- Bob Fioretti: 7.4 percent
- William “Dock” Walls: 2.8 percent
The race was largely viewed as a referendum on Mr Emanuel’s first term as mayor, with his forced closure of about 50 public schools taking center stage in most of the disapproving commentary hoisted at him by his opponents, who included, most prominently, Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Ms Lewis launched a bid for mayor last year but fell ill and decided to throw her support behind Mr Garcia. A victory for Mr Emanuel, she feared, could strengthen the push for some of the school reform ideas he espoused, including initiatives like closing traditional public schools and expanding privately run charter schools.
The two-way runoff, which will take place on April 7, presents a very different choice for voters: It hasn’t been reported how much of the voting for Messrs Wilson, Fioretti, and Walls represented anti-Emanuel sentiment and might now flow to Mr Garcia, whose name wasn’t as well known as Mr Emanuel’s.
The incumbent mayor also enjoyed stronger financial and personal support than any of his opponents, underscored in a bold endorsement from President Barack Obama during the late stages of the campaign. This important factor could also be different in the runoff.