With a week left before the polls open, two questions remain in the mayoral race. Who will come in second to Rahm Emanuel? And will that second place finisher be able to force an April runoff with Emanuel? Gery Chico seems like the most likely of the major candidates to be able to pull this off. He's found a bullet point issue to attack Emanuel with "the Rahm Tax" and has been repeating it ad nauseam in campaign ads, mailers and even a website. As we mentioned last week, Chico will keep beating people over the head with this so long as Emanuel refuses to define those "luxury items" that would be subject to his proposed tax swap, in exchange for a 20 percent decrease in the city's portion of the sales tax, hoping that our collective Pavlovian negative response toward the word "tax" will sway undecideds in his favor. If that doesn't work, Chico's already shown that he's shameless enough to use the "he isn't from Chicago" argument. more ›

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. more ›

The next time we say mayoral politics in Chicago is predictable, please remind us of Monday. In the space of a few hundred words in a court ruling, we've gone from following what seemed like an inevitable coronation to having an actual mayoral race. It cannot be stressed too much how tight of a corner Rahm Emanuel's been painted into by Monday's decision by the Illinois Appellate Court to toss him from the mayoral ballot. His campaign is in a dire situation, especially if the state Supreme Court decides to uphold the Appellate Court's decision. Kevin looked at Emanuel's options yesterday. For the media, it was the shot in the arm this mayoral race was looking for. The big question is: who benefits the most if Rahm's name is removed from the ballot? more ›

We've been saying, with regard to the "consensus Black candidate" fight in the Mayoral campaign that ultimately settled on Carol Moseley Braun, that race is still a factor in the election, just not in the way Braun, Danny Davis or James Meeks wanted to frame it, using a playbook written at the height of the Civil Rights movement that just seems a tad bit antiquated in an America where Barack Obama crafted a wide coalition of voters to become President. A new Tribune poll shows that a lot of folks throughout the city share our sentiments about this. more ›

With a month to go before next month's mayoral election, a new poll conducted by the Tribune shows Rahm Emanuel expanding his lead. Emanuel had the support of 44 percent of those surveyed. Which means, at this point, Carol Moseley Braun and Gery Chico are battling not only for second place, but to force Emanuel into an April runoff. more ›

Today in "Extra Extra:" President Obama is still admired and houses are at 2002 prices. more ›

How does the cliche go? "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Looks like President Obama has done just that, taking the Democratic mid-term election losses in stride and earning a 56 percent approval rating for the recently completed lame duck session. more ›

With the state legislature ready to debate and vote on major casino expansion when they return to Springfield next month to complete their lame duck session, they may have public opinion in their favor. more ›

A survey conducted by the Chicago office of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association shows Rahm Emanuel holds a commanding lead over the rest of the field. Of the 2,255 likely voters surveyed, 39 percent chose Emanuel over Carol Moseley Braun at 12.33 percent. more ›

We’re now heading into the home stretch in election season and both the gubernatorial and senate elections are tight races, according to polls released by the Tribune. Republicans Mark Kirk and Bill Brady both lead their respective races, but by thin margins. Kirk holds a 3 percent lead over Giannoulias (44% to 41%) while Brady has a 4 point lead over Quinn (43% to 39%). more ›

We had pretty surprised by the response to last week's coffeehouse post that we thought we'd try to catch lightning in a bottle again. Today is National Pie Day and we asked the Chicagoist staff, "What is your favorite pie?" more ›

After yesterday's Tribune/WGN poll that showed current Cook County Board President Todd Stroger a distant third in that race, a new poll shows the Governor's race is heating up with the two expected front-runners, well, where they were expected to be. According to the poll of 600 likely Democrat voters done last week, Gov. Quinn has a sizeable lead with 49 percent and opponent state comptroller Dan Hynes trailing at 23 percent. Third place was "Undecided" at 21 percent. Things were much closer on the Republican side where Jim Ryan leads with 26 percent and Andy McKenna behind at 12 percent of the 600 likely GOP voters polled. State Sen. Bill Bradley had 10 percent, State Sen. Kirk Dillard had nine percent. But greater than all of these candidates was "Undecided," which came in at 31 percent. So while it seems like we're heading for a Quinn-Ryan showdown next November, the Undecided element is still large enough to make a difference, especially on the GOP side. more ›

Chicago 2016 chief Lori Healey went on the defensive about yesterday's Tribune/WGN poll which showed a drop in support for holding the Olympics here. Said Healey, "We've had tremendous public support for having the Games in Chicago. Polls are polls, and they move all the time." Right, we get that. But this poll is moving one direction: down. Originally, Chicago 2016 used a Zogby poll that showed support at 77 percent but an IOC poll released this spring showed support at 67 percent. The new Trib/WGN poll shows support at 47 percent. Even more telling is that the number of those opposed to the Olympics is at 45 percent, nearly equal to those that support the Games. And coming on the heels of an IOC report released this week that wasn't exactly glowing in its assessment of Chicago's plans, we'd imagine Healy and company might be sweating a bit. But from the sounds of things, no one's worried. more ›

Olympics support has dwindled to 47 percent, according to a Tribune/WGN poll released today. more ›

Over the weekend, a new poll conducted by the International Olympic Committee showed that support for holding the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago was actually as much as 10 percent lower than Chicago 2016 itself had claimed. According to GamesBids.com, the Tribune reported that the IOC poll showed support at 67 percent rather than the Zogby poll which Chicago 2016 has used, which said support was at 77 percent. While GamesBids and ChuffPo report on the Trib's report, we can't locate the Tribune's original article to save our life. The closest thing we were able to find was the report on Tokyo's slumping support. more ›

We'll hand it to Blago - he doesn't blink in the face of heavy criticism. When asked to respond to yesterday's Trib poll that found only 13 percent of those polled approved of the job he's doing, the Governor simply responded that if he were up for reelection on November 4th, he'd "win by 10 points or better." Sure, if his opponent were Emperor Palpatine, and even then we still think it'd be closer. Blago also said he didn't think he's done anything to garner such low ratings. Nope, nothing at all. more ›

A recent Chicago Tribune poll of 500 registered voters found that not very many people approve of the job Governor Blagojevich is doing. In fact, only 13 percent think he's doing a good job and even fewer (10 percent) want to see him back in 2010, if he even survives his current term. This...comes as no shock to us. Rezko, the FBI, the CTA clusterfuck, the list goes on and on and on. We can hear Mayor Daley cackling in delight from here. more ›

With Democrats hell-bent on dragging their primary season all the way to the convention, and John McCain all but the GOP nominee, the question of who is more electable is weighing on the minds of many voters. SurveyUSA, whose polling is usually pretty good, put together a couple of nice maps. more ›

Now that the Michigan primary is safely behind us, all eyes are focused on Nevada and South Carolina. For Democrats, who need at least 2,025 delegates to win the presidential nomination, Nevada's caucuses this Saturday offer 33 delegates. Not only is the nation looking at the Silver State, where early voting is a new experience for a mix of Latino, rural and urban voters, but so are the federal courts. Hillary Clinton has been polling well there, but Barack Obama has been endorsed by the state's largest union, the Culinary Workers. This endorsement is significant not only because it is the largest union in the state, but also because the state's Democratic party has opted to hold nine "at-large" caucuses, open to anyone within 2.5 miles of the Las Vegas strip, where the bulk of CWU members work. Intended to make voting easier for shift-workers in Nevada's casino industry, the move prompted a lawsuit by the Nevada Teachers Union. The lawsuit claimed that those voting in at-large precincts being held on the Strip would have too much weight compared with those voting at their polling places, infringes on the right to equal protection guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and violate state statute in the way they were drawn. more ›

The Donnas have finally transformed themselves into the female KISS, sans make-up (well, the Kabuki-inspired kind); the band excels at writing party songs, evoking bygone licks, and caring not one whit that there isn't an intelligent lyric in sight for miles. Unlike KISS, the quartet of girls have razor-sharp chops and an endearing sense of relevance, which only makes sense since it seems as if they've been on the road almost non-stop for the past... more ›

While the other families we know hightail it out to the greener grassed suburbs, we here at the Chicagoist have found more and more to love about the city. Our most recent crush is on the Art of Play. We initially thought the Art of Play was a tourism gimmick, as it is sponsored by the city and state Tourism bureau, as well as the Mayor's Office of Special Events and other Chicago cultural organizations.... more ›

Today’s your last chance to visit ARTropolis. It’s “Student Day” at Art Chicago, where students, professors, and professionals discuss the basics of an arts career. A pass admitting two people to five fairs is $15. The Illinois Bureau of Tourism has announced its Seven Wonders of Illinois, the top regional attractions selected by popular vote. Cubs fans hit the polls early and often, naming Wrigley Field Chicago’s top attraction. Wilmette’s gorgeous Baha'i Temple represents... more ›

It isn't just the folks living in the 12 Wards that are holding Aldermanic runoff elections that are thinking about outcomes today. The aftermath of the vote that is going on as you read this will impact the city for years to come. By the time the polls close tonight, there will be some new aldermen, and others will have held onto their seats. Some will coast to victory, and others will squeak in by... more ›

"Lion of the Disenfranchised, Disenfranchised" via Michael DaKidd. more ›

In a shocking bit of news, no one is accepting responsibility for the election night delays that came out of Cook County Clerk David Orr's office. By 7:55 p.m. only 37 precincts had been processed. The Chicago Board of Elections, on the other hand, uses the same system and completed processing much earlier. Orr stated the $50 million to $60 million Sequoia Voting System would be able to handle all absentee and early votes directly... more ›

On Tuesday, the American -ists will be celebrating democracy and hitting the polls, letting politicians know what they really think. It just made us wonder: if it were up to the -ist-a-verse, what would we be voting for? Londonist votes for better skincare, alternative spaces for art, cute little birds and the men who keep them, and concrete. Lots of concrete. Shanghaiist votes for one of the Bee Gees and Air Supply (it's a double-ticket),... more ›

Chicagoist is a firm believer in civic engagement. We're even down with the bars being closed while the polls are open (we just drink at home, anyway). And part of that commitment means getting involved in races that matter to you. Yeah, we said it. You! So we want to invite you to give a little time this weekend for a candidate whose message matters to you. Geary Yonker has a wonderfully written article about the pleasures of working for something you believe in. more ›

Remember a couple weeks ago when we said it seemed like every political writer with a byline was watching the race for the 6th Congressional District? We weren't kidding. Someone with Reuters sent us this pic of Times Square that showed a poll they did in conjunction with Zogby that says Tammy Duckworth leads Peter Roskam 54% to 40% in the race to represent the 6th District of Illinois in the U.S. Congress. When... more ›

If there is one thing you can say about Tony Peraica, it's that he doesn't take it lying down. In one of the most closely contested, and divisive, races in recent local history, Peraica and Stroger have all but come to blows out on the street. Chicagoist is fascinated by the race for Cook County Board President, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is its potential to punch a hole in... more ›

Fresh off the heels of the gubernatorial poll released yesterday morning comes the Cook County Board president poll, revealing a dramatically closer race than the one for the state’s top seat. Democrat Todd Stroger and Republican Tony Peraica are virtually neck-and-neck less than a month before Election Day, with Stroger leading 39 percent to 36 percent. With an enormous 22 percent of voters still undecided about whether they'd rather choose the product of nepotism or... more ›