Chicago's upcoming Mayoral Race could be up for grabs with four strong contenders looking to unseat Mayor Rahm Emanuel this February. We have Dr. Willie Wilson, William "Dock" Walls, Alderman Bob Fioretti, and Cook County Commissioner Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia confirmed and on the ballot.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has close to 11 million dollars in his campaign war chest and the other candidates with the exception of Dr. Willie Wilson do not have millions to pay for commercials and major advertising. However, the Mayor's Race could come down to the candidate with the best ground game. Hitting the streets, distributing literature, knocking on doors, and presenting at churches all over Chicago could really help the candidates increase their visibility in Chicago.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has taken to the air waves with new commercials highlighting his recent decision to increase the minimum wage in Chicago but will this be enough for the Mayor to keep his position? Thousands of people are upset with the Mayor because of some decisions he made early on such as closing schools, adding red light cameras, expensive parking tickets, and not providing Chicago cab drivers with decent raises. All of these decisions have come back to haunt the Mayor. The candidate that can best point out all of the poor decisions made by the Mayor can possibly win the Mayoral Race by a narrow margin.
When the voters are upset about a multitude of issues, then you could look forward to a major upset in Chicago. Look at what happened to Governor Quinn in downstate Illinois. The people were tired of Governor Quinn and they took to the polls in big numbers for Bruce Rauner. However, Bruce Rauner had a strong message and the money to back up his platform.
All four contenders have some good qualities and community support. For example, William 'Dock" Walls brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table along with his many years of experience running for Mayor in Chicago, while Dr. Willie Wilson could be the game changer as long as he gets his message out to the people. He has southern roots and a very successful track record in the corporate world. Alderman Bob Fioretti is the only Aldermen to stand up to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Commissioner Jesus Garcia has a strong background in community organizing dating back to the Mayor Harold Washington days.
It's very unlikely in a five-way race that one of the candidates will secure 50 plus one percent of the vote. With close to 1,200,000 registered voters in Chicago and only 400,000 voters hitting the polls in the 2011 Mayor's Race, it shows that the Mayoral race is anybody's race.
It will be mandatory that each candidate finds a way to wake up the other 50 percent of voters that did not have a reason to come out and vote in the last election. History will be made in the Chicago Mayoral Race this year. Put your seat belts on a get ready for change.