Rahm unlikely to face strong challenger now
My only rooting interest here is for Chicago voters to have a real choice.
It’s not too late for another candidate to come forward who would have a chance of defeating Mayor Rahm Emanuel for re- election. But it’s very, very unlikely. With a hospitalized and seriously ill Karen Lewis ruling herself out of the race, Emanuel becomes the odds- on favorite for four more years in office.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle could beat him, the polls show, and Lewis’ withdrawal would certainly give Preckwinkle some legitimate wiggle room to reconsider her decision to stay put in county government.
But I don’t see that happening unless there’s some public outpouring that puts pressure on her to change her mind. No matter what the polls say, it would be a very tough race, and I’msure she knows that, just as I think she truly is focused on her challenges at the county.
After Preckwinkle, the list of people with the stature to take on Emanuel is extremely short.
I can bat down the names as fast as you might propose them. State Sen. Kwame Raoul? Not his ambition. U. S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez? Already endorsed Rahm. U. S. Rep. Mike Quigley? Likes it in Washington. The Rev. James Meeks? He got that out of his system.
There has even been speculation that if Gov. Pat Quinn lost his re- election, he could turn around and run formayor. That would never work.
It’s not so much the short time period before the election, and the need to raise money for a campaign that makes the short list so short, although both of those are daunting factors.
It’s that we have so few politicians in this city who have been willing to do what allowed Lewis to rise above the pack, that is, take on the mayor.
Most elected officials in Chicago would rather try to work with Emanuel than against him, just as they did with Rich Daley.
Some of those who might stand a chance of beating Emanuel would blanch if they were so much as mentioned in that context.
Ald. Robert Fioretti ( 2nd), the most prominent remaining declared candidate, is an exception, and I don’t want to be dismissive of his candidacy. I appreciate his willingness to serve as the loyal opposition to not just one, but now two Chicago mayors. That’s not easy. I agree with him on a lot of issues. He’s served the city well.
But he’s never really struck a lot of people as mayor-material, which is why everyone is so fast to overlook him now.
My only rooting interest here is for Chicago voters to have a real choice. I don’t get to vote formayor, and I’mnot picking up sides.
Arguably, Emanuel always was the favorite, despite early polling that showed Lewis ahead. But she sure would have made things interesting around here for a few months.
It’s regrettable that we won’t get to see that contest, but far worse that it’s Lewis’ health making the decision for her.
I regret failing to nod inmy column last week to the possibility that Lewis’ illness might be something even more serious than I first imagined— and to wish her well.
Emanuel has managed to make a lot of Chicago voters angry with him.
But without a viable alternative, they don’t have anywhere to take that anger.