Chicago Mayor's Race: 20 Candidates File Petitions (PHOTOS)

We knew there were a lot of people considering mayoral bids, but we did not expect 20 candidates. Well, hopefully Chicagoans like having many options.

Entrepreneurial journalist and Columbia College professor Dan Sinker has been staying on top of the ever-changing candidates list, and his Chicago Mayoral Scorecard is the most informative list we have seen so far. Find the candidates' websites, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and related news stories here.

While the Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn has already placed his bets on how the election will turn out, we wanted you to learn about the candidates and make your own decisions.

Check out what the playing field looks like according to the Chicago Board of Elections, and tell us who has your vote:

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Rahm Emanuel

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No surprise here. Rahm is well-funded, well-connected and the most obvious frontrunner in the mayoral race. If his residency issues go away, Emanuel will be in a very good position.

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No surprise here. Rahm is well-funded, well-connected and the most obvious frontrunner in the mayoral race. If his residency issues go away, Emanuel will be in a very good position.

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No way. Got my vote!

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Comments

[Jeff Mauck]

12:50 PM on 12/31/2010

Dear Friends,
Please pay close attention to the way all of the mayoral candidates have pandered to the police
by pledging that they will promote the next superintendant from within the ranks. Regardless of the fact, or even consideration that the best qualified candidate may not be found within the department. Consider the reason why Mayor Daly went outside the department for his last appointment. CORRUPTION! Does anyone seriously believe that corruption and abuse of power have been eliminated in the CPD? I know , lets let the police police themselves. Go figure.

[UKNOWHOW ICM]

04:59 PM on 12/04/2010

::
I should have ran.

[Michael Lindley]

06:40 PM on 12/01/2010

Chicago needs a Daley. Remember the Byrne, Washington, etc years? I pity the city. It is in for a rough decade. Even Emmanuel will be overcome by Brdgeview politics if he's elected

[samuraifrog37]

12:01 AM on 12/05/2010

What's "Bridgeview politics" anyways? Pity the City? Rough decade? What in the heck are you talking about?

[lvogt]

10:19 AM on 11/27/2010

Halperin's run makes sense as a blocking move. If Halperin is the legal resident at his address, Emanual isn't.

[robjh1]

01:07 PM on 11/24/2010

The beginning of corruption. Chicagoans should reject all candidates. Moseley-Braun was kicked out of the senate by the people because of her incompetence. She tried running for President in 2008 and wasn't successful. Before she left congress there was an issue with one of her staffers whom she married. Too much drama here.

[Chicagofan1]

09:18 AM on 11/28/2010

She likes to "RUN" for 15 min.

[Lakesideboy]

10:02 AM on 11/24/2010

Rahm Emmanuel and Gery Chico are the only candidates with the intelligence to effectively run this city.
With any other choice we're going to end up with another Todd Stroger situation - milk the city for all of the cash you can get your hand on. Been there, done that with Daley.

[Puck342]

05:32 AM on 11/24/2010

Well at least this should finally put to bed the notion that any of these candidates actually want to see Rahm lose...because then they wouldn't have 20 candidates on the ballot, but would rather pool behind an opposition candidate that had a viable chance...for the good of the city....

Unless... *GASP*.... they are all politicians likes of CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN (google her name + scandal if you want a good laugh), or the ever-losing Doc Wallis, or one of those delightfully homophobic hate-preachers (one of whom has declared that he will continue to run his baptist church if he is mayor).

Then there's the black political machine that can't even get all of its horses in line behind one candidate, they actually came out with their "consensus candidate" after 2 people from their machine had ALREADY DECLARED.

But no, seriously, keep it up with the thinly-veiled Anti-Semitism and general one-liner "New Boss, same as the Old Boss" attacks. Really, they sound well thought out and are going to be soooo effective, just wait for the blowout coming in the spring. Just remember, when Rahm easily wins the election, that none of these candidates wanted anything for the city, just themselves. Rahm at least is has said for years he'd love to be mayor if/when Daley retired. At least he's honest and realistic, what're the rest? What're the rest? Oh right, Not-Jewish, that's a key qualification.

[ejhickey]

12:17 AM on 11/24/2010

Chico is the Man

[47th]

08:36 PM on 11/23/2010

This is an awful choice. Danny Davis is probably the least reprehensible, Emanuel probably the most. Even though we are almost rid of Daley, our city is still in big trouble. Most of these candidates will exacerbate Chicago's problems.

[Totto]

12:10 PM on 11/25/2010

Davis is too d@mned old. Most big cities are in "big trouble" because of the Second Republican Great Depression.

[47th]

08:35 PM on 11/26/2010

I never said Davis was a great candidate, just that he is the best out of a truly lousy field. I agree with you that the depression brought on by the Bush administration has been tough on cities, but in Chicago's case, a big assist would have to go to the corruption and incompetence of the Daley administration.

[maxtruthful]

08:06 PM on 11/23/2010

3rd. World Election & Rahm's $$$$$ appears to have bought this already - disgusting Fascism.

[ConservativeWorld]

07:59 PM on 11/23/2010

There are 20 candidates and all of them are socialists. Chicago is going down... FAST.

Though I am not a Daley fan, at least he has been there so long, you know what you are getting.

Rahm is going to win this and it will be easy. Meeks will be second, Davis third, and the rest will not get more than 5% of the vote.

[47th]

08:52 PM on 11/23/2010

You need to look up the definition of a Socialist, my Monopoly character friend!

[ClareP]

10:55 PM on 11/23/2010

Save your fingers. Conservativeworld thinks everyone to the left of Ayn Rand is a socialist.

[ClareP]

11:01 PM on 11/23/2010

I only wish we'd have a real socialist run for mayor. Someone in Bernie Sanders' mold.  Rahm is certainly far to the right of anything that resembles "socialism," and so (to varying degrees) are most of the others I know anything about.

you, as usual, aren't much of a judge because the world is black and white-- whoever doesn't agree with you on the left is immediately & indiscriminantly labeled a "socialist."

[itzy8940]

07:07 PM on 11/23/2010

Man, this city is in trouble. I'm not bowled over by any of the candidates. Rahm seems to be the lesser of two evils...

We'll see.

[edisnuts]

06:48 PM on 11/23/2010

as a suburban guy,,, I have seen the antics for quite a few years,,,,

Burris was OK as senator,,Braun was unqualified incompetent and horrible as a senator,,, she got it because of race and gender,, the white guilt vote , women and majority of AA community,,, dejavu to 2008

[JDJase]

03:56 PM on 11/23/2010

If Carol Moseley Braun is elected mayor, Chicago will become the next Detroit. She was the most useless US Senator in history and she will be a lazy, useless mayor. I can't vote for anyone who, when asked for details of their budget plan, say "I propose we bring everyone together."

[ClareP]

05:42 PM on 11/23/2010

She's a failed politician, doesn't have a clear record on ethics issues, and is too far to the right on economic issues. She'd probably build on the privatization of the parking meters and sell other city services off. No thanks.

[Coloradem]

06:41 PM on 11/23/2010

You are aware, of course, that she is leading an effort to cancel the parking meter lease?

http://www.takebackourquarters.com/

[Coloradem]

03:32 PM on 11/23/2010

Go Carol!

[mypov123]

05:07 PM on 11/23/2010

Co-sign, I'd rather see her win.