Yesterday, President Obama?s former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was declared the victor of Chicago?s Mayoral race against former school board chief Gery Chico, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, and City Clerk Miguel del Valle. Emanuel will be succeeding Mayor Richard Daley, who announced his retirement last fall after serving as Chicago?s mayor for more than 20 years.
With 97 percent of the precincts counted, Emanuel received 55 percent of the vote, while Chico came in second with 24 percent of the vote. Braun and Valle each had 9 percent, preventing any need for an April 5 run-off election, though polls taken just before Election Day indicated that Emanuel may have come too close to the 50 percent he needed to avoid the runoff.
With a subtle endorsement from President Obama, who stated that Emanuel was extraordinarily well qualified for the position, and a full endorsement from former President Bill Clinton (picture, above), Emanuels victory was relatively predictable, though his journey was not without obstacles.
In January, for example, an Illinois Appeals Court ruled that Emanuels name could not appear on the ballot for Mayor because he had not lived in the city of Chicago for a year before the election. Fortunately, for Emanuel, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the Appeals Courts decision when it ruled just a week later that Emanuel was in fact eligible to run for Mayor of Chicago.
Reacting to the results, Alderman Pat OConnor (40th), whose North Side ward voted in favor of Emanuel by 65 percent, said, Its tough to beat somebody whos worked for two presidents, had experience in Congress and can actually point to things at the national level that everybody is aware of. He added, Hes also a prodigious fundraiser and a tireless campaigner. Thats a rsum and a record thats hard to match.
According to the Daily Caller, in 1989, as Mayor Daleys chief fundraiser, Emanuel raised $7.7 million. To ensure his own mayoral victory, Emanuel raised $12 million. The Daily Caller writes:
Most of the money came from outside of Chicago. According to the Chicago News Cooperative, Chicagoans only contributed $5.38 million less than 46 percent of Emanuels funds. (Some of the donations came from billionaires like the Pritzker family and Morningstar CEO Joe Mansueto, who gave $202,000 and $100,000 respectively.)
More interestingly, approximately 30 percent of Emanuels contributions came from big-name out-of-state donors. Donald Trump donated $50,000. Emanuels brother, Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel, raised almost a million dollars for him at a fundraiser last year. Steven Spielberg contributed $75,000. Apple CEO Steve Jobs and his wife gave $100,000.
The Daily Caller notes that the movie industry in particular has much to gain from Emanuels victory, as Illinois provides a 30 percent tax credit on production spending and a 30 percent tax credit on salaries up to $100,000.
Whether the people of Chicago will benefit from the influence of outside donors remains to be seen. Emanuel has pledged to cut $75 million in spending within his first 60 days in office, a necessity for a city that whose deficit is expected to surpass $650 million this year.
During his victory speech at union hall, Emanuel declared his election to be a victory for all those who believe we can overcome the old divisions and the old ways that have held Chicago back.
In response to Emanuels victory, President Obama issued the following statement: As a Chicagoan and a friend, I couldnt be prouder. Rahm will be a terrific mayor for all the people of Chicago.
Photo: In this Jan. 18, 2011 file photo, former President Bill Clinton, left, appears at a rally for Chicago mayoral candidate and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel in Chicago: AP Images
