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In surprise result, Chicago's Mayor Emanuel faces election run-off by Mary Wisniewski Reuters Feb 25, 2015 Chicago - In a surprise result that showed the limits of a big-money campaign, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel failed to get more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election, and must face a run-off against second-place finisher Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in April. The setback for Emanuel, 55, came despite a visit to Chicago last week from President Barack Obama, whom Emanuel served as chief of staff. With $6 million in his war chest at year end even after spending $4.7 million in the fourth quarter, Emanuel hugely outspent four opponents in his race for a second term as head of the nation's third-largest city. The powerful Democrat got millions of dollars from campaign donors, including Hollywood directors and hedge fund executives, plus Obama's support. But it wasn't enough to fend off the mild-mannered Garcia, a Cook County commissioner and progressive Democrat with a paltry campaign fund. Garcia held a low public profile before he jumped into the race last October after the teacher's union president, Karen Lewis, backed away after being diagnosed with brain cancer. The run-off election against Garcia will be held on April 7. . . . "We have something to say," said Garcia to his euphoric supporters Tuesday night. "We want change." Garcia had the support of the powerful Chicago Teachers Union and its president, Lewis, who gave Garcia an immediate boost by videotaping an endorsement of him the week he announced his bid for mayor. Suzy Broz, 26, a former Emanuel supporter, said she thought Garcia could win. "A lot of people are upset with a one percent mayor and people feel that there's a great chance for change," Broz said. Emanuel, known for his sometimes abrasive style, has argued that he had to make tough choices to rein in the city's budget deficit, which is expected to grow to $1.2 billion by next year due to an increase in payments to public pensions. As the election loomed, Emanuel turned more attention to lower income residents, passing a city ordinance to raise the minimum wage. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/25/us-usa-politics-chicago-idUSKBN0LS1B420150225> Chicago Socialist Campaign <http://www.chicagosocialistcampaign.org> <https://www.facebook.com/chicagosocialistcampaign> Victory in Seattle Inspires Chicago Socialist Campaign by Andrew Mortazavi In These Times January 24, 2014 If a socialist can win an election in Seattle, why not Chicago? That was the spirit at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Jane Addams Hull House Museum on Wednesday night, where close to 100 Chicagoans gathered for the founding meeting of the Chicago Socialist Campaign. Drawing on the example of Seattle’s Kshama Sawant—who in November became the first socialist in recent memory elected to a city council—the campaign seeks to run a socialist candidate for alderman in Chicago’s 2015 city council race. Activists also plan to use the electoral effort to amplify the demands of popular movements in Chicago, such as the call for a $15 minimum wage. The January 22 meeting drew members of several socialist organizations—including Solidarity, Socialist Alternative and the International Socialist Organization—as well as members of community organizations and unions, such as Chicago Teachers Union, AFSCME and Service Employees International Union. Overall, the mood was hopeful. Shaun Harkin, a member of ISO, called the campaign “an exciting opportunity,” and his sentiment appeared to be shared by an ebullient crowd. . . . <http://inthesetimes.com/ittlist/entry/16171/victory_in_seattle_inspires_chicago_socialist_campaign> Chicago for Chuy <http://chicagoforchuy.com/index.html> Jesus "Chuy" Garcia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jes%C3%BAs_%22Chuy%22_Garc%C3%ADa> Political controversy flares up in the CTU Lee Sustar Socialist Worker November 5, 2014 DELEGATES OF the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are expected to decide November 5 on whether to endorse an electoral challenge to Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the February mayoral election. The push to support Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, a Cook County Commissioner and longtime Chicago politician, comes amid controversy over how it came about--in a videotaped statement from CTU President Karen Lewis at the union's annual political dinner, known as LEAD, on October 31. Lewis has taken a leave of absence because of a serious illness, and Vice President Jesse Sharkey has assumed the president's duties according to the CTU's constitution. . . . LEWIS' HIGH-profile individual support for Garcia captured headlines because she was preparing to run for mayor herself before she fell ill--and opinion polls showed she had a shot at beating Emanuel, despite the mayor's $8 million-plus campaign fund. She clearly hopes to transfer her support to Garcia. But as the independent teacher publication Substance News reported, her personal endorsement of Garcia raised hackles among CTU members. . . . <http://socialistworker.org/2014/11/05/controversy-flares-in-the-ctu> _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
