Rahm Emanuel Favored Heavily as Polls Open in Chicago

Chicago voters are casting their ballots for who will become the city’s first new mayor since 1989. Candidates seeking to replace Mayor Richard Daley spent the long weekend making their final appeals (video below).
Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is a solid favorite, but whether he’ll be able to surpass the 50 per-cent threshold, required to avoid a runoff, remains in doubt. A recent poll has Emanuel enjoying the support of 49 per-cent of respondents, 30 points ahead of his nearest challenger.

Mr. Emanuel was preferred by 49 percent of the 718 likely voters surveyed Saturday through Wednesday, just short of the more than 50 percent he will need to avoid facing the second-place finisher in a runoff on April 5.

Gery Chico, the former Chicago Board of Education president, was backed by 19 percent, Carol Moseley Braun, a former United States Senator, received support from 10 percent, and Miguel del Valle, the city clerk, got 8 percent. Twelve percent said they were still undecided.

Image via Flickr, by juggernautico

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Greg S.

6:12PM PST on Feb 23, 2011

did not live in chicago for two yrs, his buddy is obama, if it smells, and looks like a crook, must be a crook.

February 23
send a green star

Vivianne M.

3:11PM PST on Feb 23, 2011

No more continuing of the same old lies. where has this person come from. who are his buddies. At this time all rep are in question. with the Koch brothers buying seats for the rep party.

Robert O.

11:57AM PST on Feb 23, 2011

Rahm is part of the status-quo problem, and he is more loyal to Israel than America!

donald b.

7:32AM PST on Feb 23, 2011

GO RAHM!!