I was surprised too. His poll numbers are crap but I didn’t think he would lose because no one would run against.
If we had got the Olympics he’d be staying I wager.
Boy is it ever on. Last open seat for the Mayoralty, 1947. Ed Kelly was the last Mayor to voluntarily step down. (doesn’t sound like he wanted to though) I realize I know nothing at all about the mayors between Anton Cermak and Daley Sr.
No Republican has run since 1995, the last election that was officially partisan.
Rahm? JJJr? Luis G? Out of those 3 I’d actually have to prefer JJJr. Barf.
Losing the Olympics was probably his last hurrah. Daley has the city sewn up and would win another term easily in 2011, but he can see the drawbacks far outweight the advantages of sticking around another four years. His guy Obama is now damaged goods, there's going to be a RAT bloodbath in November and Brady is set to be the next Governor. Throughout his entire tenure as mayor, Daley's NEVER had to deal with a non-combiner in the Governor's chair who won't play ball. (Even "good government" downstater Edgar tended to turn a blind eye and appese the machine). Brady's a independent conservative downstater and doesn't give a flying f--- what the Chicago machine wants -- his whole campaign theme is a clean break from Chicago area politicians dominating Illinois politics.
Plus you can factor in that Mrs. Daley has been sick, Patrick Fitzgerald has put the most prominent Daley combiner allies behind bars, Emil Jones is retired, his son Kevin Daley is a DINO and thus can't be heir apprent, Daley managed to serve one more term than his better known daddy (thus finally stepping out of daddy's shadow and overcoming jokes about he isn't "the REAL Mayor Daley") and the writing is on the wall with the economic recession about to send Chicago's budget into a nosedive. A seventh term would be hell for Daley, and he knows it.
>> Last open seat for the Mayoralty, 1947. Ed Kelly was the last Mayor to voluntarily step down. (doesn’t sound like he wanted to though) I realize I know nothing at all about the mayors between Anton Cermak and Daley Sr. <<
I thought Kennelly beat Kelly for the RAT nomination? The Nash-Kelly regime of the Chicago machine was getting exposed for corruption so they had to dump him. Perhaps they purged Kelly behind the scenes and "convinced" him to retire? I don't remember the exact details from my Illinois history class in college but I could have sworn Kelly ran again and went down. Oh well.
>> No Republican has run since 1995, the last election that was officially partisan. <<
Interestingly enough, I just spoke with that Republican this morning. It was Ray Wardingley who won the GOP nomination in an upset. (The media derides him as "Spanky the clown", nevermind the fact that he did the "clown act" for a living, only as a chariety event to raise money for sick kids with leukeium. Oh well since when did the facts matter to the MSM?) Since then the RATs got tired of dealing with pesky Republicans and now we have "nonpartisan" elections in Chicago where a general election between two candidates only occurs if no candidate gets over 50% in the first round. Lots of RAT vs. RAT general elections. And Ray Wardingley's on the ballot yet again this year, running against Bobby Rush for Congress. Gotta love Ray, puts his name on the ballot in super RAT districts so us Crook County Republicans have a real choice.
>> Rahm? JJJr? Luis G? Out of those 3 I’d actually have to prefer JJJr. Barf. <<
My money's still on a Hispanic mayor to succeed Daley, probably Guiterrez as he's the most prominent hispanic RAT in Chicago, aside from the uninspiring (though elected citywide) city clerk, Miguel del Valle. But del Valle is a Daley puppet, the Chicago voters will probably want "change" after Daley. ::sigh::
JJJ is damaged goods after the Blago scandal, Rahm would love to be mayor but I think the voters would feel otherwise. My guess is we'll see about 20 or so prominent RATs that aren't tied up in a 2010 campaign jump to file to be in the Feb. 2011 election (they're probably out in droves getting the paperwork together right now), but when the dust settles there will probably be about 3 or 4 RATs left with a viable campaign -- and their base will probably be along ethnic lines (black, hispanic, polish, irish, etc.)
The black and white populations of the city have strunk, the moment is with the hispanics. The media would wet their pants in excitement over the thought of the "first hispanic mayor" and turn him into a superstar ala they did Obama in 2008, proclaiming it's hispanics "turn" to have a mayor of their own. Alot of the hispanic population doesn't vote or is ineglibile to do so, but the media just needs to con enough voters in other demographics to switch sides in order to give their guy a plurality in a four-way race.
I won't have any say in it though, I'm in suburban Cook. My mayor ain't Daley, though you sure wouldn't notice since we Cook Co. suburbanites are only "allowed" to have Chicago RATs represent us. ;-p
I agree after a few months of the "new" RAT, we'll probably have Bushesque "Miss Me Yet?" signs for Daley. On the plus side, whatever sucky marxist is in the mayor's office will have considerably less influence statewide.
If it has to be a Dem, then St Sen Meeks.
If a Republican runs, it has to be someone who already has name recognition and access to money. Ron Gidwitz comes to mind. He and meeks could agree and lead the way on education choice. Without a doubt, education should be the issue. Without an educated workforce kiss jobs goodbye.
Of course an educated workforce would mean educated voters, which most Chicago politicians and community leaders don’t want.