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Incumbent Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel won reelection Tuesday after defeating progressive rival, Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, in a historic runoff election.
Emanuel, who begins his next four-year term on May 18, won with 56 percent of the vote, according to WGN Chicago. Emanuel coasted to a much easier victory when he won his first mayoral race in 2011 following several terms in Congress, a stint as White House Chief of Staff for Barack Obama, and a brief but lucrative foray into investment banking.
Tuesday’s runoff election marked a first for Chicago: an incumbent mayor had not been forced into a runoff since the city made the race non-partisan in 1995.
Unpopular moves like the decision to shut down 50 public schools in mostly poor black and Latino neighborhoods and the installation of red light cameras coupled with frustrations over gun violence dogged Emanuel in the initial February 26 election. Emanuel ultimately secured 46 percent of the vote, falling short of the 50 percent plus one vote needed to avoid the runoff. Garcia earned 36 percent of the vote in a field with five total candidates
