- Scott Olson/Getty Images
- Jesus Garcia, after voting Tuesday morning at Corkery Elementary in Little Village
In the three months of campaigning leading up to Tuesday, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia really couldn’t tell if he was catching on with voters. The county commissioner was greeted warmly when he was out shaking hands, but, he wondered, what did that mean? Was everyone just being nice?
He spent most of the morning greeting voters outside polling places on the southwest side. He voted midmorning in Little Village. The temperature climbed to 19 by noon; a trace of snow fell afterward. He kept checking reports on turnout and getting the same answer: dismal.
On the phone a few minutes later, Balanoff briefed him: Emanuel would fall short of the majority he needed to avoid a runoff, the early results indicated, and Garcia would finish second with more than the hoped-for 31 percent. Garcia needed convincing. “No, this isn’t gonna change,” Balanoff assured him. “This isn’t just the Latino wards—these results are citywide.” Emanuel finished with 45 percent, Garcia with 34 percent.
Garcia got a full five hours of sleep Wednesday and looked fresh yesterday morning. We discussed issues in the campaign; I’ll write about that next week. He was energized enough to jab at his opponent. He said voters sense that unlike Emanuel, he has no political ambitions beyond being mayor. What does he think Emanuel aspires to be? “Who knows? Senator? Chairman of the IMF [International Monetary Fund]? Emperor?”
