Chuy’s choice not to run for mayor a plus for Preckwinkle
Decision likely a boon for Preckwinkle, possibly opens door for Mendoza, political insiders say
County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia decided Monday not to join the crowded race to succeed Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a surprise move with potential to boost the mayoral campaign of County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and create an opening for Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
“I sincerely believe I can do more for my city now in Washington,” Garcia, who is poised to take the seat in Congress vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said in a prepared statement.
“This decision is not about ascendancy or political positioning. It is about integrity and what I feel I can do for my city in Congress.”
Gutierrez, who launched the “Draft Chuy” movement after taking a pass on the mayor’s race himself, said Garcia “would have been a great unifier who would have put people who live in the neighborhoods first and not downtown corporate interests.”
Although he co-chaired Emanuel’s 2015 re-election campaign and was poised to do so again, Gutierrez argued that Garcia’s candidacy would have been a “stark contrast with the failed policies of Rahm Emanuel.”
Now that Garcia is out of the race, Gutierrez said, “I’m looking forward to seeing a candidate come forward with a progressive agenda for Chicago. One that puts the neighborhoods first and doesn’t keep taxing working families and senior citizens out of their homes.”
Gutierrez stopped short of encouraging Mendoza to enter the race.
Four years ago, Garcia forced Emanuel into Chicago’s first-ever mayoral runoff even though he got a late start, was outspent by a 4-to-1 margin and Preckwinkle refused to endorse Garcia, her County Board floor leader.
This time, Garcia firmly believed he could capitalize on his strong showing in the March primary as the anointed Democratic congressional nominee who carried all of the candidates he endorsed, including 26-yearold political newcomer Aaron Ortiz, who defeated state Rep. Dan Burke, D-Chicago.
He was also vowing to be a lot more specific about his plan to solve Chicago’s $28 billion pension crisis, knowing full well that the hazy financial rescue he unveiled during the 2015 mayoral race had given Emanuel an opening to exploit.
But Monday, Garcia gathered his kitchen cabinet together to tell them he had opted out. Money just might be a driving force. In 2015, nearly all of the $6 million he raised came from progressive unions: the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 1.
This time, SEIU Local 1 was firmly in Preckwinkle’s corner. And the CTU was noncommittal and expected to remain so, at least for the time being.
“Without SEIU or CTU, where would his money have come from?” said a source familiar with Garcia’s decision-making.
“He would have been forced to forge a brown-white coalition with the business community. His old friends — people who have been with him since the ’70s and ’80s — were not comfortable with that.”
Garcia’s decision to take a pass does not mean he and Preckwinkle have mended fences. But even if there is no détente, Garcia’s decision is widely viewed as a potential boon to Preckwinkle.
“Toni and Chuy would have been progressive vs. progressive. It would have been challenging to distinguish their records. Without Chuy, she now has the potential to create that elusive coalition of African-Americans and Latinos,” said political operative Victor Reyes, who has spoken to five of the top-tier mayoral candidates but is “leaning toward” Preckwinkle.
Prior to Garcia’s decision, Reyes did a wardby-ward analysis of a runoff between Preckwinkle and Garcia that concluded Preckwinkle would have won with 54 percent of the vote.
Another Democratic operative, who asked to remain anonymous, argued that Mendoza stands to benefit most from Garcia’s exit.
Although Mendoza needs to wait until she is safely re-elected next month to launch her mayoral campaign, she shares Garcia’s appeal to younger voters who backed Bernie Sanders in 2016, the Democratic operative said.
Garcia did not return repeated phone calls from the Chicago Sun-Times.