How Rahm Emanuel Became the Consensus Black Candidate
By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 28, 2011 9:45PM
Polls prior to last week's mayoral election showed Rahm Emanuel with strong support among African American voters. But strong enough to win 59 percent of the Black vote, as he did? Even with the downward spiral of Carol Moseley Braun's campaign, that was unexpected. for many. Both the Tribune's Clarence Page and Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell asked that same question in print over the weekend, looking for answers beyond the noxious and self-serving search by local African American power brokers for a consensus black candidate and the implosion the Braun's campaign after she seized the mantle.
Page cited the Energizer bunny campaigning of Emanuel and wisely spending the $11 million he raised for the campaign. Sure, he largely campaigned at "L" stops, bowling alleys and grocery stores, but it resonated with voters. Pressing the flesh and taking some send-off comments from Barack Obama out of context as a non-endorsement endorsement did the trick. As for the consensus black candidate search, Page was succinct.
"And, perhaps most important, the opposition fizzled, including the consensus black candidate. That was partly because of Braun's own mistakes and partly because the black leaders who backed her apparently haven't come to grips with the fact that it's not the 1980s anymore."
Emanuel confirmed the strategy worked to Mitchell in a one-on-one interview.
“A lot of people scoffed at what I used to call my ‘Target’ town halls. But I would go to Target down on South Cottage Grove and I would walk,” Emanuel said. “There would be eight women with carts around me, and I couldn’t get out if I wanted to.”
Some have criticized the approach, notably Mario Smith of WHPK-FM's "News from the Service Entrance" during last week's live chat, as campaigning from the safety of the "L" platforms. But Emanuel focused heavily on the Far South side; he visited the 95th Street "L" platform four times, including the day after his victory.
“I saw too many kids on those platforms with not a thing in their eyes," Emanuel told Mitchell. "That is the only thing about this job that gives me pause about my abilities."