Rahm Emanuel closes in on Chicago mayorship

Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, appears poised to trade an office in the West Wing for a suite on the fifth floor of Chicago's City Hall.

Richard M. Daley, Chicago's mayor since 1989 and its longest serving, is retiring. To win outright, a candidate must reach 50 percent of the vote. And a recent Chicago Tribune poll put Emanuel at 49 percent.

He is far ahead of all his other opponents -- among them former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun. Her campaign achieved some notoriety when during a recent debate she accused a rather marginal opponent of once being a "crackhead." Moseley Braun's standing immediately declined for what were seen as rather intemperate remarks -- even in the rough and tumble of Chicago politics. 

Emanuel's two other main challengers -- former Chicago schools President Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel del Valle -- lack his star power, his fundraising ($11 million so far) and his big name endorsements. Bill Clinton stopped by a few weeks ago to pat his former aide on the back.

So the others have mounted campaigns questioning whether Emanuel, whose Congressional district included Wrigley Field, home of the baseball Cubs, is an authentic Chicagoan. Indeed for months it seems the chief issue here has been whether Emanuel, who rented out his house while he was White House chief of staff, fit the residency requirements to be mayor. Earlier this month, the State Supreme Court ruled conclusively that he did.

In the event that Emanuel's opponents are able to hold his total below 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election, he will face a run-off against the second place finisher on April 5th.