Emanuel anxious to avoid runoff in Chicago mayor’s race

Incumbent Rahm Emanuel is hoping to garner the 50 percent he needs to win this week’s Chicago mayoral election outright and avoid a runoff against Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.

The latest survey released Monday gives Emanuel 48.3 percent of voter preference, leading Garcia, who got 26.5 percent, and Bob Fioretti with 15.2 percent.

The margin of error is plus or minus 3.68 percent, and in case a runoff is required, it will be held on April 7.

Emanuel rolled out a powerful advertising campaign on television, whose budget, according to an analysis published in the Chicago Tribune, amounted to almost $7 million, almost 10 times Garcia’s ad spend.

In his advertising campaign, Emanuel had the support of President Barack Obama, who appears in one of the commercials of his former White House chief of staff.

Meanwhile, 184 candidates are vying for the 43 contested seats of the Chicago City Council in the nation’s third most populous city.

Among the incumbent aldermen seeking reelection unopposed are veteran Latino politicians George Cardenal in District 12 and Ariel Reboyras in District 30.

Daniel Solis, on the other hand, who has represented District 24 since 1996 and is considered a key figure in the Latino caucus of the City Council, has four rivals, including activist Jorge Mujica, organizer of big proimmigrant marches in Chicago.

Roberto Maldonado, who was elected to represent District 26 in 2009, has two Latino rivals, while Regner “Ray” Suarez, an alderman since 1991, has among his challengers the very popular former television host, Milagros “Milly” Santiago.

Polls will be open this Tuesday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. throughout the city,

The election office said that in the 11 days of early voting which ended Saturday, some 83,000 voters cast their ballots, 10,000 more than in 2011.