Davis Leaving Chicago Mayoral Race

[cal04]

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/31/132533916/davis-leaving-chicago-mayoral-race?ft=1&f=1001

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis withdrew his candidacy from the Chicago's mayor race Friday, leaving U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun as the only remaining prominent black candidate in the campaign.

Davis, who announced his decision alongside Braun at a New Year's Eve news conference, said the decision was an act of unity for blacks in the city. The two Democrats had been under pressure from African-American leaders in the city for weeks to agree on a so-called consensus candidate to unify black votes.

"I come to help prove that unity can be more than a concept," he said. "It is more than just an ideology. The community is coming together."

[notesdev]

1. Geez

Why oh why couldn't it have been CMB who stepped out? Why do the better, more honorable candidates always defer to the senior, more corrupt ones? CMB in particular... should she actually win, we may end up seeing the first Republican mayor of Chicago in living memory in the election after (to remind the younger ones, she did exactly that with an IL Senate seat, which is why she is available).

[davidinalameda]

2. I was surprised that he dropped out

if I was a Chicago voter, I would not vote for CMB

[notesdev]

3. This is why Chicago politics has a bad name

It's so clearly not a discussion about who would be best for the people of Chicago.

Instead, we are looking what is essentially an arm-wrestling competition, candidates being forced out by pressure from other candidates, rather than (doing what is apparently a completely radical thing in this environment) actually putting the question to voters.

[davidinalameda]

7. I blame Jesse Jackson for this

or I would if I really cared about it

he held a little confab and tried to get Davis and CMB to decide on who would stay in and who would get out

after the meeting, both said that they'd stay in

obviously Davis changed his mind, or had it changed for him

wonder if Jackson threatened to run someone against him in 2012

[waddirum]

5. not quite

Um... no. There is only one mayoral election in Chicago, not a primary followed by a general. There is no threat of a Republican winning mayor of Chicago.

[davidinalameda]

8. uh no

if no one gets 50% of the vote, then they have a run-off

it wouldn't be difficult to get someone in 2nd place and then win the run-off

it's happened in too many places too many times before

[PassingFair]

6. Care to enlighten the rest of us, who only remember her from her Presidential bid?

How corrupt is she?

[Peregrine Took]

4. He is a class act but, I'm sorry to say, time has passed him by.

Its going to be a totally cut throat race here starting next month. Vicious!

He is well out of the melee.

God knows who will win as both Rahm and Chico are absolute "insiders." The debates will be wild as Carol is no shrinking violet either. I think Chicago needs a good jolt from someone outside the money/DC circuit.

Go Carol!