Rahm Emanuel will be the next mayor of Chicago. Voters in the Second City gave the former White House chief of staff a definitive, if not overwhelming majority in an election that many assumed would fail to deliver an outright winner. After a race marked by a damaging feud over Emanuel's residency (or lack thereof) in Chicago, the notoriously quick-tempered Democrat beat out five rivals to receive a 55 percent share of the vote — avoiding a runoff battle with his closest rival, Gery Chico. How did Emanuel manage it? (Watch an AP report about Emanuel's win)
Obama had his back: The president is still "Chicago's favorite son," says Meredith Shiner at Politico, and the president's support gave Emanuel's campaign an insurmountable boost. Even though Obama never campaigned on Emanuel's behalf, he said his former chief of staff would make a "terrific" mayor. Emanuel's campaign used the endorsement well: The comment was repeatedly "blasted over local airwaves."
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