Rahm Emanuel

African-American Vote Key in Mayor's Race

As early voting wraps up, the candidates are vying for the vote that could be key in avoiding a runoff

It isn't often that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has to counter one of his challengers' campaign events, but on Saturday Emanuel is heading to the same neighborhood where Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is scheduled to speak at the headquarters of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Garcia, who served as an alderman during the Harold Washington mayoral years, said he hopes to "rekindle the legacy of Harold Washington" and encourage voter turnout at the meeting. "I'm the man that's trying to bring the coalition together," Garcia said.

While Emanuel likely has several campaign stops scheduled for Saturday, the only one he advised media about is a lunch that takes place blocks away from the Rainbow/PUSH headquarters.

On Friday, Emanuel told reporters, "Harold Washington was a great mayor." This statement follows his final TV campaign that utilizes President Obama's visit to Pullman Thursday. Emanuel also conducted a rare one-hour live radio interview Friday with WVON.

Meanwhile, first-time candidate Willie Wilson is scheduled to spend part of his campaign day with one of his key supporters, Congressman Danny Davis.

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