There’s one more name to cross off the list.
State Senator Kwame Raoul, who represents President Barack Obama‘s old legislative district, said Tuesday he is going against the grain and opting not to run for mayor, in part because he doesn’t think he could raise the money needed for a competitive bid. Raoul said last week that he was considering entering the race.
“Everybody can dream about how they can serve, but getting there is a different situation,” Raoul said in an interview with the Chicago News Cooperative this afternoon. “The mayor’s announcement comes at a time when it creates a short window for anybody who wasn’t already preparing to run for mayor. If you look at it in practical terms and the role money plays in politics, unfortunately, unless you can amass several million dollars in two or three months, it doesn’t make sense. It’s a sad statement, but it’s true. You have to pragmatic about stuff.”
Raoul isn’t a household name citywide, but some progressives had hoped he might jump into the race and form the kind of multiracial coalition that proved successful for fellow Hyde Parkers Obama and Toni Preckwinkle, the Democratic nominee for Cook County Board president.
In addition to money, Raoul said he thinks crossover appeal will be decisive, whatever the winner’s racial or ethnic background.
“For me it doesn’t have to be a black candidate,” he said. “There are challenges that cross over—education, public safety, access to employment. They’re not black problems. They’re not necessarily fixed by saying, ‘Ok, I’m going to support the black candidate.’”