Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, a Cook County commissioner, announced that he will join the race to unseat Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel next year, the
Chicago Tribune reported.
Garcia is a former alderman and state senator who has gone up against the Democratic political machine of former mayor Richard M. Daley.
He said his campaign will focus on crime and education. There was "a feeling among people in lots of neighborhoods that the current mayor doesn't have children's best interests at heart," according to Garcia, the Tribune reported.
Garcia has until Nov. 24 to gather 12,500 valid signatures. The mayor, who has nearly $9 million in his campaign chest against Garcia's $15,000, said, "People will make their own cases if they decide to run or not," the Tribune reported.
Garcia received financial support from County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, an Emanuel rival who decided to sit out the race, the Tribune reported.
The mayor, who was President Barack Obama's White House chief of staff, will likely also face challenges from conservative radio host William Kelly; police officer
Frederick Collins; Alderman Robert Fioretti;
Amara Enyia, who worked in the Daley administration; and former alderman Robert Shaw.
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis decided not to run for health reasons,
The Huffington Post reported.