- Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times Media
- Toni Preckwinkle, the Cook County Board president, says thanks but no thanks to a mayoral bid.
As recently as this weekend, when the Sun-Times released a poll showing Toni Preckwinkle ahead by a whopping 24 points, her campaign spokesman indicated that she was seriously considering a challenge against Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Not surprisingly, one of the first people to vocalize his renewed support for Preckwinkle was Emanuel. He responded to the news with his own statement that, while praising Preckwinkle’s work at the county, read like a long sigh of relief. “Toni Preckwinkle has been a strong partner in tackling many of the challenges facing Chicago neighborhoods, and an outspoken voice for criminal justice and pension reform. . . .”
Instead Preckwinkle continued to be courted, pressured, begged, and heckled to take on the mayor. And she refused to rule it out—over and over. When a reporter recently suggested that she say outright whether she was considering a run, she responded, “Thank you for the advice.”
Money isn’t everything, even in politics, but it’s a lot, and I’m told that Preckwinkle didn’t want to get into a fund-raising arms race or even the perception of one.
Not that he’s in the clear. Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis, who also led Emanuel in the Sun-Times poll, says she’s formed an exploratory committee. I’d expect to hear from Alderman Robert Fioretti soon as well.
