Lewis Forms Exploratory Committee To Weigh Run Against Emanuel

CHICAGO (CBS) -- For months, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis has said she's considering a run for mayor. Now she has taken another step toward jumping in the race.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports, a day after the Chicago Sun-Times published a poll showing Lewis would beat Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a head-to-head contest, she said she's forming an exploratory committee.

That's a vital first step for any candidate seriously considering a run for mayor.

The decision comes on the heels of a Sun-Times poll showing Lewis would get 45 percent of the vote, compared to Emanuel's 36 percent in a one-on-one race, with 18 percent of likely voters undecided.

Lewis might not be Emanuel's biggest threat. The same poll showed Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle beating Emanuel 55 percent to 31 percent in a head-to-head race. A Crain's Chicago Business poll showed Preckwinkle with a smaller edge over Emanuel; 48 percent to 40 percent.

But money has been called the mother's milk of politics, and with a $7 million war chest, Emanuel has a lot more of that than any potential challenger right now.

In:
• Chicago Teachers Union
• Cook County
• Toni Preckwinkle
• Karen Lewis