Rahm Wins Chicago Mayoral Race
The New York Times reports:
CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman who worked for two presidents, was elected mayor of Chicago on Tuesday, marking a new path for a city that has, for 22 years, been led by a singular, powerful force, Richard M. Daley.
Mr. Emanuel, who will take office in May, won 55 percent of the vote against five other candidates. That allowed him to avoid a one-on-one runoff election in April that had been seen by some opponents as their best chance to defeat Mr. Emanuel. With 95 percent of precincts reporting, his closest competitor, Gery J. Chico, a former chief of staff to Mr. Daley, captured 24 percent of the vote.
“It’s a victory for all those who believe that we can overcome the old divisions and the old ways that have held Chicago back,” Mr. Emanuel told supporters, later adding that he believed the city’s most difficult challenges — with safety, schools and jobs — could be met.
Mr. Emanuel, 51, is well known to nearly everyone here — less, perhaps, for his years as a congressman from the North Side than for his ties to President Obama, a fellow Chicagoan for whom he served as the White House chief of staff. Mr. Obama congratulated his former aide, saying, "I want to extend my congratulations to Rahm Emanuel on a well-deserved victory tonight. As a Chicagoan and a friend, I couldn't be prouder. Rahm will be a terrific mayor for all the people of Chicago."
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