After several weeks of remaining locked in a virtual dead-heat, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appears to have broken away from his Democratic challenger, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, according to recent polls.
On Friday, The Chicago Tribune
released a survey showing Emanuel with a 51 percent to 37 percent lead over Garcia, with 11 percent of likely voters remaining undecided.
The poll was conducted by APC Research from March 6 to March 11 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
In its weekly survey,
Ogden & Fry released a poll on Saturday that also found Emanuel holding a double-digit, but smaller, lead over Garcia. In that one-question survey, the mayor has 47.1 percent of the vote, compared to Garcia's 36.7 percent.
However, as many as 16.2 percent of voters remain undecided, which could be the key to deciding the April 7 runoff election.
"Emanuel's financial advantage is starting to have an effect with his TV commercials. Conventional wisdom is that undecideds usually do not break for a well-known incumbent. Garcia seems to hold around a 6 percent (53-47) advantage with the undecided voters at this point," notes the Ogden & Fry analysis.
While the recent polls seem to show Garcia's inability to capitalize on a slew of recent endorsements, the Cook County Commissioner remains confident that the polls do not accurately represent his support.
"The polls have always underestimated my support," Garcia
told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday as he welcomed the official endorsement of the Illinois branch of the Service Employees International Union.
Other endorsements include several high-profile Chicago political figures, such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson, former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Rep. Danny Davis, and the Teamsters Local 743,
according to NBC Chicago.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Garcia's campaign has been hampered by his inability to keep pace with Emanuel's fundraising – he has raised $2.3 million versus the incumbent's $17 million.
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