The division between liberal and moderate Democrats is on full display in the Chicago mayoral race. The run off between current Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. Although Emanuel won his first mayoral race four years ago with a 31-point margin of victory, he failed to get a majority of voters during the current election.
The challenger, Cook County Commissioner Garcia, has said that Emanuel’s policies have favored the rich over working-class Chicagoans. The basis of Garcia’s run has been that the current mayor is not in touch with the majority of people living in the city and that his policies have benefited business and the wealthy to the detriment of the lower and middle-class.
“Chicago neighborhoods are hurting,” Garcia said to NPR. “They haven't seen much recovery since the recession, and that will be the paradigm shift under my administration.”
Garcia jumped into the race three months ago and has mounted a surprising challenge to the ex-Congressman and White House Chief of Staff Emanuel. Even the support of President Obama couldn’t keep the mayoral race from becoming a runoff.
“It's a clear choice between two different visions of the future and how to get there,” said Emanuel during a campaign stop. “One way is about the old politics of deferral. And one is about confronting our challenges head-on by being clear about what they are, being honest and forthright about the choices we have to make.”’
The runoff election has garnered national attention and the popularity of the, previously little know, Garcia has drawn several nation-wide progressive organizations to his banner during a sightseeing tour. Democracy for America, MoveOn.org and the American Federation of Teachers have all publically opposed Emanuel and refer to the election as a “fight between the ‘Elizabeth Warren Wing’ and the ‘Wall Street Wing’ of the Democratic Party.”
Early voting in the mayoral runoff election has been strong, with over 20,000 votes being cast in the first two days. Although 18 alderman elections are being decided at the same time, the mayoral runoff is the driving factor behind the surge.
This fight could have national results during the upcoming presidential election. If Emanuel and, by extension, the ‘Wall Street Wing’ of the party lose the election, it might trigger an interest in challenging former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the
Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. Clinton is currently seen as the
overwhelming choice for candidate, but if Emanuel is defeated it would open up the possibility of a challenger from the more liberal side of the party.
Elizabeth Warren would be the logical choice for that, but the Massachusetts’s Senator has already declined to run. A repudiation of the ‘Wall Street Wing’ in Chicago might lead her to reconsider that decision. Warren would bring more populism to the presidential race. Clinton carries a great deal of baggage, much of it tied up with Wall Street.
When asked about Clinton’s relationship in 2004, Warren responded, “You know, I worry a lot about the relationship between all of them: regulators, government and Wall Street.”