Moments after Gery Chico conceded defeat in the mayor’s race, a top adviser said he did not think Chico or anybody else could have fared better against the might of Rahm Emanuel‘s campaign.
“Running against Rahm felt like waking up every morning and running face-first into a gale-force hurricane,” said Ken Snyder, media strategist for Chico’s campaign. “He had $13 million. He had two beloved presidents. He had Hollywood stars. He had the tacit support of [retiring Mayor Richard M. Daley]. Not to mention a hell of a resume.”
But Snyder told the Chicago News Cooperative that Emanuel also benefited from the weak showing of Carol Moseley Braun. Chico aides had hoped Braun would garner enough black support to force a run-off — but not enough votes to finish ahead of Chico and in second place.
“Carol’s campaign was a shipwreck of a candidacy,” Snyder said. “As the consensus [African-American] candidate, it is shocking that she could not raise enough money to even get on TV. Had she, we would have treated Chicago to the run-off it deserved.”
Snyder said Chico would ultimately report raising a total of $4.2 million. It was enough to get out his message, Snyder said, but was only possible because the candidate stayed in the office making fund-raising calls for 6 or 7 hours a day rather than campaigning across the city.