Amara Enyia Drops Out Of Mayoral Race, Endorses Fioretti

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 10, 2014 3:50PM

Dr. Amara Enyia, the West Side community activist who was one of the earliest challengers to Rahm Emanuel’s re-election campaign, has ended her campaign and endorsed Ald. Bob Fioretti for mayor. Enyia made her announcement outside City Hall a few moments ago.

Enyia told reporters the signatures on her campaign petitions were being challenged and that, without the resources to defend them, decided to throw her support behind Fioretti. Prior to the news conference the Enyia and Fioretti campaigns released a joint statement. Enyia said,

Under Rahm Emanuel, our city has been headed in the wrong direction. For more than two years, I have been calling for an education system that works for our children, a more fair distribution of resources, more open and responsive government, and many other ideas that would make Chicago a city that works for all of its citizens.

My vision for Chicago is one that is now shared by people from Rogers Park to South Shore, from the Lakefront to the edge of the West Side and in between. My platform has resonated with everyday people who are looking for a different kind of leadership.

However, it has become clear that Alderman Fioretti is better positioned to carry this message forward. Therefore, I am withdrawing from the race and am endorsing Bob for Mayor of Chicago and will work vigorously on his behalf.

He and I both share the vision that this city should be ONE CHICAGO.

Bob has always shown his dedication to everyday residents as a civil rights attorney and with his continued fight against policies that do not work for the people of this city. Bob has shown a consistent commitment to communities of color throughout Chicago, and demonstrated to me that our trust will be well placed in him as our next mayor. I call on all of my supporters to join me in electing him.

Fioretti added:

Amara is a woman of commitment and of action who cares deeply about Chicago. Her presence in this race is testament to the widespread understanding that we need a change at City Hall; that we need a mayor who embraces all of our city and all of its people.

In her work with the Chamber of Commerce in Austin and consulting on economics with the City, Amara has continually shown us how to drive Chicago’s economy toward a brighter future. As advocates for change, Amara and I share the same goals to drive Chicago’s future forward.

I am happy to have her support in this campaign.

The daughter of Nigerian immigrants with a PhD in education policy from the University of Illinois, Enyia’s campaign had its supporters but she seemed like a long shot at best to challenge Emanuel or contend with Fioretti and Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia for voters disenchanted with Emanuel’s policies. Then there were profiles like one in Gapers Block earlier this year with this quote.

"I'm not so concerned with the outcome in terms of win or lose. It's just doing what I need to do, because I've seen a vision of what can happen if we all felt that way, if we all believed that we can actually change things."

That isn’t necessarily what one wants to hear from someone seeking office. Enyia dropping out of the campaign leaves nine candidates remaining in the mayoral race but the focus is rapidly shifting to Emanuel, Fioretti and Garcia.