Chicagoans spoke at the ballot boxes while voting for mayor Feb. 24 -- and their choice for the next leader of the city was not for Mayor Rahm Emanuel or Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia or for any of the three other candidates. The decision made by Chicago voters was "We're not sure yet." With Emanuel not winning more than 50 percent of the vote, he and Garcia will face each other in an April 7 runoff election.
How did we get here, after so many predicted that Emanuel had re-election in the bag? Reboot Illinois' Madeleine Doubek takes a look:
1. Emanuel, a powerful, nationally known and well-connected Democratic strategist in a previous life, collected millions from wealthy Chicago business titans and other elite.
2. He collected $16 million and ran a downpour of 4,600 ads. Each one sought to portray him as a man of the people, as someone who fought for the little guy.
3. His ads and his spending far, far, far outpaced his competition.
4. He was elected four years ago on the promise of making the tough calls it would take to turn the city around.
5. He made those tough calls, seemingly without looking back or building a sense of compromise, buy-in or collaboration with his opponents or his constituents.
6. He always has been cocksure, not one to suffer fools.
7. He made the tough calls, sparking union unrest that led to a strike he lost that left him permanently scarred.
See eight more reasons why Emanuel will face Garcia in a runoff election at Reboot Illinois, including the impact on the election had by Emanuel's relationship with Chicago schools and the media.
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