Round two of the Chicago Mayoral election is coming up soon on April 7, and it’s the closest race the city has seen in decades. Here’s a quick recap of who’s running, who’s voting, and why it matters.
The race
Incumbent Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff for President Obama (and, more importantly, Northwestern alum), will face off against Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a Mexican immigrant and Cook County commissioner.
The election back in February required a candidate to win 50 percent of the votes to be elected into office. Emanuel received 45.4 percent of the votes, just under the 50 percent needed to secure reelection. Garcia received just over one third of votes.
This time around, a recent poll shows Emanuel with 48.5 percent of the votes, Garcia with 32.1 percent, and 18.4 percent still undecided. Though polls show Emanuel gaining momentum over the past few weeks, the Hispanic vote is generally underrepresented in polls, so the outcome is still up in the air.
The voters
Latino voters overwhelmingly support Garcia, with 61 percent saying they would vote for him in the runoff and only 18 percent opting for Emanuel. Latinos make up 17 percent of the Chicago electorate.
Both candidates have also been fighting over the black vote. Emanuel’s last job was chief of staff for now-President Obama, which some say contributed to his success with black voters in 2011. During that election, he won every majority-black district in the city.
Now, however, his policy decisions as mayor may have alienated this key voting bloc. Garcia’s major endorsements from black community leaders like former candidate Willie Wilson and civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson could also hurt Emanuel’s chances with this group.
Emanuel is currently ahead with black voters, with polls projecting him to earn 52 percent of the black vote, compared to Garcia’s 31 percent, though this pales in comparison to his sweeping success in 2011.
The issues
Education
Emanuel can boast about how Chicago’s graduation rate has risen 11 percent, and attendance rates and ACT scores are also on the rise. He also bargained with unions to lengthen the school day and shorten summer, along with starting a new program to offer free community college to high achieving students.
However, in an act that may have overshadowed these successes, he also closed down 49 public schools, primarily in minority neighborhoods. This was the largest school closing in American history, and earned Emanuel a fair share of backlash.
Garcia has capitalized on this closing to rally support for his own education policies.
The Chicago Teachers Union has fully backed Garcia, whose ideas include an elected school board, a moratorium on charter schools, and smaller class sizes.In a poll last August, registered voters came down hard against Emanuel’s policies. 65 percent of registered voters, and 77 percent of black voters, disapproved of how he handled the public school system.
Crime
Though Chicago’s reputation as the crime capital of the world has not faded, its crime rates have shown clear, steady declines since Emanuel’s election in 2011.
Emanuel has increased police presence in the city, moving officers to the streets. He has also advocated for increasing the police force and looking into body cameras.
Garcia has come down on Emanuel for not hiring new policemen trained in community policing, arguing that building a relationship between officers and residents is key to reducing crime even more. He advocates for hiring 1000 new trained officers for the city.
Economics
A few months ago, Emanuel voted to raise Chicago’s minimum wage to $13 by 2019, far above the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Garcia, along with the Chicago Teachers’ Union, has pushed to raise this to $15 for employees of Chicago Public Schools.
Emanuel’s connections with businessmen as a former investment banker and ability to entice investments in the city may attract votes in some circles, but Garcia has attempted to paint him as corrupt and in bed with businessmen rather than the people.
However, some of Garcia’s goals may be more idealistic than pragmatic. Chicago is out of money, so promises for hundreds of new police officers and a higher minimum wage may not come to fruition.
Keep an eye out for the results of next week’s election to see who’ll be running our city for the next four years, and make sure to cast your vote if you’re a Windy City resident.