UPDATE: Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia has forced incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff election on April 7.
With 1,732 of Chicago’s 2,069 precincts reporting (83.7 percent), the Chicago Board of Elections has unofficial results at 8:53 p.m. CST as:
Rahm Emanuel, 45.48 percent, 177,984 votes
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, 33.9 percent, 132,691 votes
Willie Wilson, 10.49 percent, 41,062 votes
Bob Fioretti, 7.39 percent, 28,940 votes
William “Dock” Walls III, 2.73 percent, 10,701 votes
Emanuel will, of course, have all the resources he cares to tap for the runoff. But Chuy will get national and international attention for forcing the runoff in the first place, and as commenters have already noted below, he’s also likely to get a big boost as the focus of “Anybody But Rahm” and from The Guardian’s bombshell revelation about the Chicago Police Department’s very own secret prison.
For those interested in donations, here are links to Chuy’s campaign website and Act Blue page.
Turnout sucked something fierce: 27.85 percent. My wife was only No. 100 in our Rogers Park precinct when she voted just after 6 p.m. (I voted early last week.)
What's going on in your wards and neighborhoods?
7:39 PM PT: UPDATE 2: As of 9:24 p.m. CST: With 1,912 of Chicago’s 2,069 precincts reporting (92.4 percent), the Chicago Board of Elections has unofficial results as
Rahm Emanuel, 45.43 percent, 195,749 votes
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, 33.97 percent, 146,369 votes
Willie Wilson, 10.45 percent, 45,017 votes
Bob Fioretti, 7.42 percent, 31,961 votes
William “Dock” Walls III, 2.73 percent, 11,771 votes
8:14 PM PT: UPDATE 3: As of 9:55 p.m. CST: With 2,008 of Chicago’s 2,069 precincts reporting (97 percent), the Chicago Board of Elections now has unofficial results as:
Rahm Emanuel, 45.36 percent, 205,262 votes
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, 33.93 percent, 153,528 votes
Willie Wilson, 10.55 percent, 47,732 votes
Bob Fioretti, 7.4 percent, 33,480 votes
William “Dock” Walls III, 2.76 percent, 12,474 votes
And my first “Rec List” appearance! Thanks, gang!