Chicago Mayor's Race Roundup: Pollster Gives Rahm A Big Lead, Meeks 'Regrets' Ranty Sermon

The petitions are in (for the most part) and many of us have already seen a campaign ad or two--the Chicago campaign season is in full swing.

Will we see the midterm-style mud slinging? Not so far. But, this is Chicago...and we still have time.

Ballot Taking Shape

On Monday, candidates in city races lined up to turn in their signatures. While 12,500 valid signatures are needed for a ballot spot, most candidates turned in many more. Rahm Emanuel turned in about 90,000 signatures, and Carol Moseley Braun topped him with about 93,000. As of Monday evening, the Chicago Board of Elections had received petitions from the following candidates:

CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN
DANNY K. DAVIS
GERY J. CHICO
M. TRICIA LEE
MIGUEL DEL VALLE
RAHM EMANUEL
WILFREDO DE JESUS

The list could grow, however. Candidates have until November 22 to turn in their signatures. Oh, and if you don't know who M. Tricia Lee is, you can get to know her in this interesting campaign video:

LaHood (And Pollster): Things Look Good For Emanuel

After Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced that he would not be running for mayor, many said 'Why even hold an election, Rahm is going to win!" These sentiments continued when the Chicago Coalition for Mayor, a group of African American leaders, chose Rep. Danny Davis as their "consensus candidate"--after Moseley Braun and Sen. James Meeks already decided to run. With the African American vote split between three well-known black leaders, the Emanuel predictions continued, and it looks like U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is willing to place some bets.

When asked if the future mayor of Chicago would support O'Hare expansion, LaHood--standing in front of Mayor Daley--seemed to have his mind made up:

"Well, if it's who I think it's gonna be, I don't think we'll have to deliver any messages," LaHood said. "I think he gets it when it comes to economic development and the fact that this airport is what we said it is: it's an economic engine. It produces jobs."

He may be right. The Chicago Teamsters Union commissioned a poll of likely Chicago voters Nov. 8 through 14, and found Emanuel with quite the lead. From the pollsters:

. . . Rahm Emanuel holds a clear lead over the field of likely mayoral candidates. Emanuel leads primary and run-off scenarios by more than twenty points, and leads across racial and geographic lines. Emanuel is well known, but so are his nearest competitors (Davis / Mosley Braun) - indicating Emanuel's lead is not purely a function of high name recognition.

Chicago voters are aware of the residency issues raised in the campaign, but clearly believe Emanuel meets the necessary requirements. Voters also reject criticisms that Emanuel abandoned the President or does not have the appropriate temperament to be a successful mayor.

Rahm Emanuel holds a 22-point lead over his nearest rival, and leads across racial and geographic lines.

The pollsters go on to explain that Emanuel leads among whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics "in every one of the city's seven congressional districts."

Meeks Is Sorry (Sort Of)

In 2006, state Sen. James Meeks made national news for his use of the N-word to describe African Americans who support Mayor Daley. He also referred to Mayor Daley as a "slave master." He defended his use of the word after the fact, but backed down to Carol Marin on "Chicago Tonight" Monday.

When asked if he regretted using the N-word and calling Daley a "slave master," Meeks told Marin he was just fired up about the topic of education. (Hat Tip: Capitol Fax Blog)

"I am passionate about that issue of education," Meeks said. "Sure, I regret [using those words.] But I don't regret being passionate about the subject of education."

Meeks has also been vocally anti-gay in the past, but has been working to repair his relationship with Chicago's LGBT community.

WATCH Meeks discuss his controversial sermon and LGBT issues with Marin here:

WATCH the controversial sermon here:

If you have any juicy gossip about the race, or a story you think we should see, send us an email at [e-mail].

Comments

[local21]

07:31 AM on 11/18/2010

Meeks is a fool

[Lakesideboy]

12:10 PM on 11/17/2010

Davis and Braun should be out of the race. I don't think their intention is to benefit the people of Chicago.
Chico is well respected, but I'm concerned regarding his experience for running a city.
Emmanuel is the smartest of the bunch and most likely who I'll vote for instead of somebody who will simply run this city into the ground further, picking up from where Daley left off......

[mratcheson]

11:49 AM on 11/17/2010

Curious if anyone knows anything about M. Tricia Lee, other than she is a 4th generation Chicagoan from the South Side? (Which is all I could glean from the linked campaign video.) I can't find a campaign web site.

I'm a 3rd generation Chicagoan from the North Side. I don't think that necessarily means I'm qualified to be mayor. Is there some kind of code in the video?

[Kate Wooddell]

11:52 PM on 11/23/2010

What you see is what you get. That's all I'm saying. As for code, you'd have to ask a shrink about that. Are you following me here?

[mratcheson]

01:33 AM on 11/24/2010

Think so. Thanks!

[Bill Andrews]

07:13 PM on 12/30/2010

you need to check out some of her you tube videos...OY VEY!

[THETINGLYONE]

09:30 AM on 11/17/2010

Rahm was purged from the Cook County election polls twice in the last year,,, Seems he has a residency problem

[Mahi Joe]

07:16 AM on 11/17/2010

Talk about an unimpressive list of candidates. geez could it get any worse?

[mamala4]

08:44 AM on 11/17/2010

Yeah, Sarah Palin could weigh in on this race..

[Mahi Joe]

08:48 AM on 11/17/2010

It's not that bad lol. But, bad enough.

[THETINGLYONE]

09:23 AM on 11/17/2010

yeah,,, there was talk of the Mobster Bankster Giannoulias running

[Shaun Hensley]

01:47 AM on 11/17/2010

Cool a labor candidate, I'd vote for her if I lived in Chicago.

[Kate Wooddell]

11:38 PM on 12/01/2010

Can someone really be considered a "labor" candidate if she hasn't had a job in 20 years?

[PORK RIND]

12:13 AM on 11/17/2010

If Chicagoans elect this creep, we should build a Berlin Wall around the city and sprinkle disinfectants from the air until the epidemic is over. Here's hoping that they are not so mass-irrational. I mean, the guy makes Bugsy Siegel positively saintly.

[naschkatze]

10:10 PM on 11/16/2010

Teamsters poll!

[verycold]

10:09 PM on 11/16/2010

I LOVE Chicago.  The city deserves better than it will be getting.

[LonosCurse]

08:48 PM on 11/16/2010

Who was running the White House while Rahm was setting up his run?

[Bob Kellerman]

08:12 PM on 11/16/2010

MEEKS --- is not fit to mayor -- WAAAY OFF of being qualified.
Not "too Black -- "too Southern"

His replies about the Gays and about civil unions were SLIMEY

AND YOU CAN'T BE THE MAJOR OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY
if you go on TV jumping around and using inflammatory language in sermons which might have their own context in a Black church, but are strange and scary to other people.

When he was asked about the N word, his reply was not only slimey, but it was inaccurate.
In the sermon, he called the people "House Ns", which means the slaves who served in the plantation house and kissed up to the White people, tried to emulate them. It's a judgemental and derogatory term, but, used to a Black audience, it is WAAAAY off saying
"He's a N"

GOD SAVE ALL OF US, INCLUDING THE BLACKS, FROM THOSE WHO RANT AND RAVE ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE PROVIDING THEM "EQUAL SCHOOLS", ETC
---- half the problem of minorities today is that someone tried to give them "make-up" gifts, rather than assisting them in finding and believing their own capabilities.

Successful people of ALL stripes did it within the family and within themselves.

[Neaguy]

07:36 PM on 11/16/2010

It would be nice if minorities could unite around someone and defeat this corporate shill Emanuel.

[47th]

08:17 PM on 11/16/2010

It would be very nice!

[Mahi Joe]

07:17 AM on 11/17/2010

Race nor gender should be an issue. Competence, integrity and honesty should.