Latest Poll Shows Mayoral Runoff Still A Possibility

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 23, 2015 5:10PM

With less than 24 hours before the polls open for Chicago's municipal elections, the $64,000 question is will Rahm Emanuel avoid a runoff election? The magic 8 ball is telling us to try again later, preferably after the polls close Tuesday.

Here's are the latest poll numbers from Ogden & Fry, which has been conducting weekly surveys of voters. Emanuel holds a 48.3 percent favorability rating among those surveyed, short of the 50 percent plus one vote necessary to win re-election and slightly less than the previous week's poll. Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is second at 26.5 percent and businessman Willie Wilson, surprisingly, is third with 15.2 percent support.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.68 percentage points.

Emanuel wants to close out the campaign Tuesday, which is why he's made a last-minute push to court undecided black voters. His latest television ad featured President Obama giving him a bear hug at the ceremony proclaiming the Historic Pullman District a National Monument, and the mayor has spent over $7 million on campaign ads since November, enough to buy nearly a week's worth of continuous TV air time.