In an extremely crowded and tight race for Chicago mayor, Bill Daley received a major endorsement on Friday as Congressman Bobby Rush threw his hat into the ring for the former White House Chief of Staff.
In a press conference Friday, Rep. Rush made the announcement official, and his support is seen as a big factor in a race that will ultimately come down to just two candidates advancing from a crowded field of 14 candidates.
"We have a lot of respect for one another. He has my vote, and I hope he has yours," Rush said.
Daley and Rush have formed a closer relationship in the recent past, with both supporting former gubernatorial candidate Chris Kennedy in his run against Governor J.B. Pritzker in the 2018 election.
Here's Who's Running for Mayor of Chicago
Rush is all too familiar with the Daley family, having run against former Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1999. In the last election, Rush supported incumbent Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, but this time around he will support Daley in a race that is generating plenty of intrigue.
"It's much better being on Bobby Rush's side than going against Bobby Rush," Daley said.
Local
Daley has the most money in the race right now, with $5 million in his war chest, and he is trying to build as broad a coalition as possible to try to finish in the top two spots in the February election.
"We just need to keep pounding along and hopefully things will work out," he said.
Rush is the second member of Illinois' Congressional delegation to endorse a mayoral candidate, after Rep. Jan Schakowsky endorsed Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle earlier in the election season.
