Chicago mayoral election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The city of Chicago
, Illinois
held a nonpartisan
mayoral election on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. Incumbent Mayor Richard M. Daley
, a member of the Democratic Party
who has been in office since 1989, did not seek a seventh term as mayor.
Candidates needed to collect 12,500 petition signatures by November 22, 2010 to qualify for a place on the ballot. April 5, 2011 was scheduled to be a runoff election date if no candidate received an absolute majority.
Rahm Emanuel
won the race for mayor
with more than 55% of the vote. He was inaugurated on May 16, 2011.
Nominating petitions were filed for 20 candidates in November 2010. In the initial review of the petitions by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners on December 6, 2010, three candidates, Ryan Graves, M. Tricia Lee, and Jay Stone, were removed from the ballot for submitting insufficient numbers of signatures or duplicate signatures, although they had the right to seek reconsideration of the decision. Rob Halpin, businessman and tenant
of Rahm Emanuel, withdrew from the election on the same day. Tom Hanson was removed by the Board of Election Commissioners on December 13, but filed a complaint in Circuit County Court Chancery division seeking reversal of the Board's decision, for being contrary to Illinois Election Code, Section 10-8, but was not reinstated. Former U.S. Senator
from Illinois Roland Burris
withdrew from the race on December 17, 2010. State Senator
James Meeks
ended his bid on December 23, 2010, the deadline for candidates to not appear on the ballot.
Danny K. Davis
, U.S. Representative
from Illinois's 7th district, withdrew on December 31, 2010, to support Carol Moseley Braun, in an attempt to unite voters behind a single major African American candidate.
Assemblies of God
congregation leader Wilfredo De Jesús dropped out of the race on January 7, 2011, and endorsed Gery Chico.
Real estate broker John Hu was removed from the ballot by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners on December 29, 2010. On January 11, 2011, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners removed three additional candidates whose candidacies were challenged and finalized the election ballot of six candidates.
in a 2–1 decision. Emanuel's eligibility had been previously confirmed by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and a judge of Cook County. Emanuel appealed the case to the Supreme Court of Illinois
. Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times criticized the ruling in editorials as "startling arrogance and audaciously twisted reasoning" and "pinched interpretation of the law [that] ignores the lawmakers' obvious intent". On January 25, 2011, the Supreme Court of Illinois
issued a stay of the appellate court's ruling that Rahm Emanuel should be removed from the ballot. On January 27, 2011, the Supreme Court of Illinois
, in a unanimous (7-0) decision, overturned the ruling of the Appellate Court and allowed Emanuel to stay on the ballot.
Rahm Emanuel announced his resignation as White House Chief of Staff on October 1, 2010, and went on to announce his mayoral candidacy on October 3. According to the Chicago Sun-Times
, two Chicago election lawyers stated that Illinois municipal code requires mayoral candidates to reside in the town for a year before the election, making Emanuel ineligible to hold the office.
On December 23, 2010, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners unanimously rejected the challenge to Emanuel and ruled that he was a legal resident of Chicago.
The editorial pages of Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times endorsed Rahm Emanuel on February 4, 2011.
Official campaign websites
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
held a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
mayoral election on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. Incumbent Mayor Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
, a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
who has been in office since 1989, did not seek a seventh term as mayor.
Candidates needed to collect 12,500 petition signatures by November 22, 2010 to qualify for a place on the ballot. April 5, 2011 was scheduled to be a runoff election date if no candidate received an absolute majority.
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
won the race for mayor
Mayor of Chicago
The Mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of Chicago, Illinois, the third largest city in the United States. He or she is charged with directing city departments and agencies, and with the advice and consent of the Chicago City Council, appoints department and agency leaders.-Appointment...
with more than 55% of the vote. He was inaugurated on May 16, 2011.
Candidates
Six candidates appeared on the February 22 ballot:- Gery ChicoGery ChicoGery Chico is a Chicago lawyer, public official, former Democratic primary candidate for United States Senate, and former candidate for Mayor of Chicago. Chico served as the Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley from 1992 to 1995, and board president of the Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to...
, former chief of staff to mayor Richard M. DaleyRichard M. DaleyRichard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
and former chairman of the City Colleges of ChicagoCity Colleges of ChicagoThe City Colleges of Chicago is a system of seven community colleges which provide learning opportunities for Chicago residents at the schools or online, and also members of the US military through the Navy Campus to enhance their knowledge and skills. Student enrollment was 115,000 in 2007... - Miguel del ValleMiguel del ValleMiguel del Valle is an American politician and the former City Clerk of Chicago. He was an Illinois State Senator for two decades, representing the 2nd district of Chicago from 1987 – 2006...
, City Clerk of ChicagoCity Clerk of ChicagoCity Clerk of Chicago is in charge of record keeping for the city and elections. While the Chicago City Council is in session, the City Clerk serves as secretary...
and former Illinois State Senator - Rahm EmanuelRahm EmanuelRahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
, former White House Chief of StaffWhite House Chief of StaffThe White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
and former U.S. Representative from Illinois's 5th districtIllinois's 5th congressional districtThe 5th Congressional District of Illinois was created as part of the 28th United States Congress, which first met on March 4, 1843; it was initially represented by Stephen A. Douglas, whose Kansas-Nebraska Act prompted the creation of the Republican Party... - Carol Moseley BraunCarol Moseley BraunCarol Elizabeth Moseley Braun is an American feminist politician and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. She was the first and to date only African-American woman elected to the United States Senate, the first woman to defeat an incumbent senator in an...
, former U.S. Senator from Illinois and former United States Ambassador to New ZealandUnited States Ambassador to New ZealandThe United States has maintained a consular presence in New Zealand since 1838. The first consul was James Reddy Clendon. Born in England, Clendon was a ship owner and merchant who bought land and settled in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. In 1838 he was appointed by the federal government of the... - Patricia Van Pelt Watkins, non-profitNon-profit organizationNonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
administrator and activistActivismActivism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing... - William "Dock" Walls III, community activistActivismActivism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
and former aidePersonal assistantA personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
to mayor Harold WashingtonHarold WashingtonHarold Lee Washington was an American lawyer and politician who became the first African-American Mayor of Chicago, serving from 1983 until his death in 1987.- Early years and military service :...
Nominating petitions were filed for 20 candidates in November 2010. In the initial review of the petitions by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners on December 6, 2010, three candidates, Ryan Graves, M. Tricia Lee, and Jay Stone, were removed from the ballot for submitting insufficient numbers of signatures or duplicate signatures, although they had the right to seek reconsideration of the decision. Rob Halpin, businessman and tenant
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
of Rahm Emanuel, withdrew from the election on the same day. Tom Hanson was removed by the Board of Election Commissioners on December 13, but filed a complaint in Circuit County Court Chancery division seeking reversal of the Board's decision, for being contrary to Illinois Election Code, Section 10-8, but was not reinstated. Former U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Illinois Roland Burris
Roland Burris
Roland Wallace Burris is a former United States Senator from the state of Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party....
withdrew from the race on December 17, 2010. State Senator
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
James Meeks
James Meeks
James T. Meeks is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 15th district since 2003. He is also an active Baptist minister in Chicago and chairs the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus...
ended his bid on December 23, 2010, the deadline for candidates to not appear on the ballot.
Danny K. Davis
Danny K. Davis
For other persons named Danny Davis, please see Daniel Davis .Daniel K. Davis is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
, U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Illinois's 7th district, withdrew on December 31, 2010, to support Carol Moseley Braun, in an attempt to unite voters behind a single major African American candidate.
Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
congregation leader Wilfredo De Jesús dropped out of the race on January 7, 2011, and endorsed Gery Chico.
Real estate broker John Hu was removed from the ballot by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners on December 29, 2010. On January 11, 2011, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners removed three additional candidates whose candidacies were challenged and finalized the election ballot of six candidates.
Eligibility
On January 24, 2011, Rahm Emanuel was removed from the ballot by the Illinois First District Appellate CourtIllinois Appellate Court
The Illinois Appellate Court is the court of first appeal for civil and criminal cases arising in the Illinois Circuit Courts. Three Illinois Appellate Court judges hear each case and the concurrence of two is necessary to render a decision. The Illinois Appellate Court will render its opinion in...
in a 2–1 decision. Emanuel's eligibility had been previously confirmed by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and a judge of Cook County. Emanuel appealed the case to the Supreme Court of Illinois
Supreme Court of Illinois
The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five appellate judicial districts of the state: Three justices from the First District and...
. Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times criticized the ruling in editorials as "startling arrogance and audaciously twisted reasoning" and "pinched interpretation of the law [that] ignores the lawmakers' obvious intent". On January 25, 2011, the Supreme Court of Illinois
Supreme Court of Illinois
The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five appellate judicial districts of the state: Three justices from the First District and...
issued a stay of the appellate court's ruling that Rahm Emanuel should be removed from the ballot. On January 27, 2011, the Supreme Court of Illinois
Supreme Court of Illinois
The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five appellate judicial districts of the state: Three justices from the First District and...
, in a unanimous (7-0) decision, overturned the ruling of the Appellate Court and allowed Emanuel to stay on the ballot.
Campaign
On September 23, 2010, Miguel del Valle became the first candidate to launch a television commercial in the mayoral race.Rahm Emanuel announced his resignation as White House Chief of Staff on October 1, 2010, and went on to announce his mayoral candidacy on October 3. According to the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, two Chicago election lawyers stated that Illinois municipal code requires mayoral candidates to reside in the town for a year before the election, making Emanuel ineligible to hold the office.
On December 23, 2010, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners unanimously rejected the challenge to Emanuel and ruled that he was a legal resident of Chicago.
The editorial pages of Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times endorsed Rahm Emanuel on February 4, 2011.
First round
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Ed Burke | Roland Burris | Gery Chico | Bill Daley | Tom Dart | Danny K. Davis | Miguel Del Valle | Rahm Emanuel | Bob Fioretti | Luis Gutiérrez | Jim Houlihan | Jesse Jackson, Jr. | James Meeks | Carol Moseley Braun | Terry Peterson | Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins | William Walls | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKeon & Associates / Chicago Sun-Times (report) | September 8, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.3% | – | – | 6% | – | 12% | – | – | 7% | 3% | 9% | 3% | 8% | 10% | – | 4% | – | – | 3% | 35% |
| We Ask America (report) | September 2010 | 2,365 | ? | 6.31% | – | – | 8.16% | 13.66% | – | – | 29.68% | 2.95% | 12.81% | 2.30% | 13.36% | 8.21% | – | 2.55% | – | – | – | – |
| Chicago Teamsters Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors.... Joint Council 25 / Anzalone Liszt (report) |
November 8–14, 2010 | ? | ± 3.7% | – | – | 10% | – | – | 14% | 4% | 36% | – | – | – | – | 7% | 13% | – | – | – | – | – |
| We Ask America (report) | November 23, 2010 | 2,255 | ± 2.06% | – | 2.40% | 8.86% | – | – | 7.29% | 4.78% | 39.00% | – | – | – | – | 5.16% | 12.33% | – | – | – | 1.47% | 18.72% |
| Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (report) | December 1–8, 2010 | 1,020 | ± 3% | – | 1% | 9% | – | – | 10% | 8% | 43% | – | – | – | – | 7% | 11% | – | – | – | 2% | 7% |
| Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is... (report) |
December 10–13, 2010 | 721 | ± 3.6% | – | – | 9% | – | – | 9% | 3% | 32% | – | – | – | – | 7% | 6% | – | – | – | – | 30% |
| We Ask America (report) | December 20, 2010 | 2,239 | ± 2.07% | – | – | 11.78% | – | – | 6.63% | 6.09% | 43.83% | – | – | – | – | 3.63% | 7.78% | – | – | – | 3.91% | 16.35% |
| Chicago Teamsters Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors.... Joint Council 25 / Anzalone Liszt (report) |
January 4–6, 2011 | 500 | ±4.4% | – | – | 10% | – | – | – | 7% | 42% | – | – | – | – | – | 26% | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chicago Tribune/WGN (report) | January 15–19, 2011 | 708 | ±3.7% | – | – | 16% | – | – | – | 7% | 44% | – | – | – | – | – | 21% | – | 1% | 2% | – | 9% |
| We Ask America (report) | January 24, 2011 | 2,308 | ±2.05% | – | – | 14% | – | – | – | 4% | 52% | – | – | – | – | – | 11% | – | – | – | – | 16% |
| Richard Day Research (report) | February 3–7, 2011 | 600 | ±4% | – | – | 14% | – | – | – | 8% | 54% | – | – | – | – | – | 6% | – | – | – | 3% | 15% |
| NBC Chicago WMAQ-TV WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401... / Victory Research (report) |
February 10–12, 2011 | ? | ±3.46% | – | – | 16.1% | – | – | – | 9.6% | 44.8% | – | – | – | – | – | 22.5% | – | 0.9% | 1.1% | – | 5.0% |
| We Ask America (report) | February 13, 2011 | 2,252 | ± 2.06% | – | – | 23.72% | – | – | – | 10.39% | 58.21% | – | – | – | – | – | 6.04% | – | 0.97% | 0.67% | – | – |
Runoff
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Danny K. Davis | Rahm Emanuel | Carol Moseley Braun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Teamsters Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors.... Joint Council 25 / Anzalone Liszt (report) |
November 8–14, 2010 | ? | ± 4.3% | 33% | 54% | – |
| – | 55% | 32% | ||||
| Chicago Teamsters Joint Council 25 / Anzalone Liszt (report) | January 4–6, 2011 | 500 | ±4.4% | – | 53% | 31% |
Results
External links
- Candidate list from Chicago Board of Election Commissioners
- Chicago Mayor at OurCampaigns.com
- The Race for Chicago Mayor at the Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, with Mayoral Scorecard of candidate status - Politics at the Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
- Meet the Candidates at Chicago TonightChicago TonightChicago Tonight is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on WTTW in Chicago. Chicago Tonight reports primarily on local news and presents features showcasing local artists and events. The show started in 1984 and for 15 years popular Chicago broadcast journalist John Callaway...
- Mayoral Election at ChicagoNowChicagoNowChicagoNow is a blogging site managed by a subsidiary of the Chicago Tribune. Launched in August 2009, the site features numerous blogs of mainly local interest on a variety of topics.The website of the Tribune daily RedEye is notably hosted on ChicagoNow...
- Hearing schedule for objections from Chicago Board of Election Commissioners
- Maksym v. Board of Election Commissioners of Chicago – Supreme Court of IllinoisSupreme Court of IllinoisThe Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five appellate judicial districts of the state: Three justices from the First District and...
(January 27, 2011)
Official campaign websites