Chicago Politics At It’s Best

I suspect there are other cities in America where the politics is as colorful as Chicago, but I really couldn’t name one offhand.  The current entertainment in Chicago is the race to become Mayor of the city.

When Rahm Emanuel resigned as President Obama’s Chief of Staff, political pundits told everyone that he resigned in order to run for Mayor of Chicago.  Shortly afterward, Mr. Emanuel announced that he would be running for Mayor of Chicago.  Knowing the history of elections in Chicago, we only needed to sit back and watch him get voted in.  Well, not so fast.

Hot Air reported yesterday:

“Election law attorney Burt Odelson, who also has served as an adviser to several of Emanuel’s opponents in the race, is planning to file a legal challenge with the Chicago Board of Elections as early as tomorrow arguing that Emanuel does not meet Illinois’ residency requirement for candidates running for municipal office. In an interview with The Fix, Odelson said that he is representing a group of Chicago citizens and that no campaign is involved in the challenge.”

Obviously, Rahm Emanuel has been living in Washington, D. C., since at least 2008.  He owns a house in Chicago, voted absentee ballot in Illinois, and has his car registered there.  According to Illinois law, candidates have to be a resident of the state for a year prior to the election.  Mr. Emanuel moved back to the state in October.

The article concludes:

“I have no idea how this case will end, though I suspect Emanuel will win it because, well, we’re talking about Chicago and Rahm Emanuel here. I can’t imagine there’s a judge in the city who would stand in the way of a guy who will chase you down and accost you in a shower to get what he wants. However, it could slow Emanuel down long enough for a relatively popular icon of Chicago politics with US Senate experience and the Barack Obama stamp of approval to sneak in and beat him.”

If Rahm Emanuel were military, I believe he would remain a resident regardless of where he was actually living; however, I am not sure if that rule applies to White House employees.  This could be very interesting, but I have a feeling it will be resolved quickly–after all, it is Chicago.

 

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