Countdown to Rahmageddon: Running Away
By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 9, 2011 2:00PM
ABC7 released a poll last night showing that Rahm Emanuel's lead in the mayoral race has expanded, suggesting that if the election were held today the former White House chief of staff would have enough support of the electorate to avoid an April runoff. Of the 600 respondents to the poll, Emanuel was favored by 54 percent. Gery Chico was a distant second at 14 percent, Miguel del Valle at 8 percent and Carol Moseley Braun at 6 percent. None of the three major challengers to Emanuel outpolled undecided voters.
What's more telling is the support Emanuel is receiving among racial lines. 57 percent of white voters polled favored Emanuel. But he also received support of 53 percent of African American voters, as concrete a sign as any that the search for a consensus Black candidate was a failure. Emanuel also received support in the poll from a near-majority of Hispanic voters, more than double the support received from del Valle.