Just when it looked like the names of every possible mayoral candidate had been tossed about and largely discarded, now comes scuttlebutt linking Alexi Giannoulias to the fight to succeed Mayor Richard M. Daley.
While the outgoing state treasurer claimed that aldermen and donors are trying to draft him for mayor in the Feb. 22 election, some of the people who are supposedly encouraging him to run told the Chicago News Cooperative on Thursday that it is, in fact, Giannoulias who is promoting himself.
“Giannoulias contacted us,” said veteran Ald. Richard Mell (33rd Ward). “Giannoulias is contacting people.”
Mell added: “There is no way that I am encouraging Alexi Giannoulias to run for mayor.” Mell also said that he would immediately call Rahm Emanuel to reassure him that he was not involved in the Giannoulias mayoral effort.
Giannoulias was returning Thursday from a vacation that he took after losing the Nov. 2 election for U.S. Senate seat formerly held by President Barack Obama.
He is the latest in a long line of politicians to surface as possible mayoral candidates. Much of the discussion appears driven by the desire of some elected officials to avoid what they believe would be a domineering, Daley-like mayor such as Emanuel from emerging at the end of the succession fight.
With the filing deadline for candidates looming on Nov. 22, Emanuel is the only major candidate who is white, while there are at least three prominent African-American hopefuls and two Latinos with some support already in the race.
The fresh talk also could stem from some ill will between the Obama White House, where Emanuel was chief of staff until Oct. 1, and the Giannoulias campaign for senator. Although Obama supported and campaigned for Giannoulias, aides to the president initially urged Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to run for Obama’s old seat, fearing that Giannoulias would not be a successful Democratic nominee.
In a blow to the White House, Giannoulias lost the election to Republican Mark Kirk.