Rahmin’ It Home, Emanuel Stays on the Chicago Mayor Ballot

-By Warner Todd Huston

At last, the question of whether Rahm Emanuel should stay on the ballot has been settled once and for all. The Illinois Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the Appellate Court’s decision to throw Rahm off the ballot was a “novel standard” without “any foundation in Illinois Law.” Therefore, Rahm Emanuel is eligible to run for election in the Chicago Mayor’s race.

The question arose when attorney Burt Odelson charged that Rahm Emanuel did not satisfy the residency requirement for a candidate. Chicago election law requires that a candidate for office must have lived in Chicago for a year before appearing on an election ballot.

Odelson claimed that since Emanuel lived in Washington for the last two years he did not satisfy the one year residency requirement. Two courts disagreed with the charge but the third, the Appellate Court, agreed throwing the whole city into a tizzy for the last several days.
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Rahmin’ It Home, Emanuel Stays on the Chicago Mayor Ballot”


Rahm May Have until Feb. 15 To File as Write In Candidate

-By Warner Todd Huston

As reported earlier, Rahm Emanuel has been thrown off the ballot by a decision by an Illinois Appellate Court stating that Emanuel did not satisfy the residency requirement since he did not live in Chicago over the last year. This presents several major problems for Emanuel’s candidacy.

First of all, it seems pretty sure that his name will not be actually printed on the ballot no matter what the Ill. Supreme Court does with this case. The ballot printing deadline is supposed to be next Monday, January 31 and it is highly doubtful that the Ill. Supreme Court can hear the case and make a decision in time to get his name printed on the ballot.

But, while it seems highly likely that his name won’t actually be printed on the ballot, Emanuel might just have enough time to register as a write-in candidate.
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Rahm May Have until Feb. 15 To File as Write In Candidate”


BREAKING: Rahm Emanuel OFF The Chicago Ballot for Mayor

-By Warner Todd Huston

An appellate Court has decided that Rahm Emanuel did not satisfy the residence requirement in order to qualify to run for Chicago mayor. The court has ruled that Emanuel be removed from the ballot in the coming election which is only a month away.

Emanuel will certainly take this case to the Illinois Supreme Court with the hopes that they can get an expedited case.

Rahm had won two other cases in lower courts. The Chicago Board of Elections and a Cook County court sided with Emanuel in previous decisions.

This will make the mayor’s race a very different animal at this point. This gives Gery Chico and Carol Moseley Braun the room to really ramp up their campaigns.

UPDATE

The Gery Chico camp has released a quick statement on this news:

“From day one, Gery Chico’s campaign has been about putting Chicagoans back to work, making our neighborhoods safer and giving our children the education they deserve.

“Today’s news is a surprise but it will not impact how we run our campaign. Gery will continue to work for every vote and lay out his plans to take Chicago in a whole new direction.”

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BREAKING: Rahm Emanuel OFF The Chicago Ballot for Mayor”


Rahm’s Operative and Union Each Trying to Buy Chicago City Council

-By Warner Todd Huston

A political operative tied directly to Rahm Emanuel has raised $1 million to back Emanuel friendly candidates for City Council, reports The New York Times. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is investing over $2 million also to buy candidates that favor their issues. Both are struggling to buy a City Council loyal to them in hopes of emulating outgoing Mayor Daley’s lock on power.

The Emanuel effort is being led by former Daley aide and Emanuel congressional campaign manager Greg Goldner. Goldner is grandiosely calling his fundraising effort For a Better Chicago. By “better” he means for a Chicago that will be at Rahm Emanuel’s beck and call.

Amusingly — nay perhaps insultingly — Goldner is insisting that his new effort has no connection with Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel’s campaign has also said that For a Better Chicago is not connected to his campaign.

… And I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
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Rahm’s Operative and Union Each Trying to Buy Chicago City Council”


U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez endorses Gery Chico for mayor of Chicago

-By Warner Todd Huston

Interesting news, here, of the newest endorsement for Chicago Mayor. Congressman Luis Gutierrez has officially endorsed Gery Chico for Mayor. This is a big “get” for Chico.

I suppose it isn’t surprising that Gutierrez has turned against Emanuel. As we reported in Nov., there is no love lost between Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Gutierrez.

It is also telling that Gutierrez didn’t endorse Miguel Del Valle. There seems to be little doubt that the top three candidates are Emanuel, Carol Moseley Braun (whose campaign is troubled to say the least) and Gery Chico. If Gutierrez wanted to play a sly politics game he could easily have picked Del Valle to satisfy his Hispanic supporters and then casually switched to Emanuel (the power broker) once Del Valle quit the race (which it is highly likely he’ll do).

But Gutierrez picked Chico, a candidate that is actually in the running, showing that he does want to back a winner.
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U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez endorses Gery Chico for mayor of Chicago”


Chicago Mayor’s Race: De Jesus Drops Bid, Endorses Chico

-By Warner Todd Huston

Yet another announced candidate for Chicago Mayor has dropped his bid for the top seat. Wilfredo De Jesus announced Friday that he is giving up his quest and is throwing his support over to Gery Chico.

It really looks like a three person race at this point. Rahm Emanuel, Gery Chico, and Carol Moseley Braun.

If anyone is marking their race cards, an activity so woefully prevalent in Chicago, that leaves still campaigning:
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Chicago Mayor’s Race: De Jesus Drops Bid, Endorses Chico”


Danny Davis Quits Chicago Mayor Race, Leaves One African American in Race

-By Warner Todd Huston

The theme of the race for mayor has thus far been twofold. One, will Rahm Emanuel be allowed to stay on the ballot, and two, will there be too many African Americans in the running effectively splitting the black vote all to pieces allowing Rahm to waltz in unopposed?

When we started this off a few months ago there were four black candidates. Rep. Danny Davis, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, Reverend James Meeks, and the least known of the pack William “Doc” Walls.

Since then we’ve seen several of these candidates drop their bid, leaving two. First to fall was James Meeks and now the Sun-Times is reporting that Danny Davis has also given up his campaign and will be endorsing Carol Moseley Braun.
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Danny Davis Quits Chicago Mayor Race, Leaves One African American in Race”