CHICAGO — They’re everywhere. If you live in Chicago, you may have seen them or they may have called you. The mayoral candidates are shaking hands and kissing babies on eve of this historic election.
There are just a few hours to go before voters have their say.
Monday, on the Far South Side, Susana Mendoza picked up the endorsement of the United Auto Workers Union. She announced their support and then fired shots at Bill Daley.
“Do we have Bruce Rauner’s mayor, Bill Daley, who doesn’t believe a pension is a promise?” she said.
For his part Daley campaigned on the North Side Monday. He said the bulls eye is on his back because his campaign looks strong.
“I’ve been positive. Everybody else seems to be attacking me,” he said. “I feel good about it, but you never know.”
Also showing strength is Toni Preckwinkle who called voters from her Loop headquarters.
“ I’m very optimistic about Tuesday and the message we’ve been delivering about the importance of strengthening our neighborhood schools, investing in our neighborhoods and addressing the public safety challenges the city faces,” she said.
Gery Chico hit up Portage Park while Paul Vallas shook hands downtown.
“We’ve been doing the subways, the train stops, the CTA stations, all over the place. We’re getting a good reception,” Vallas said.
Lori Lightfoot, who is showing momentum in recent polls, caught up voters on their way to work.
“I think a lot of hard work is starting to pay off,” she said. “People are paying attention, they’re going to the polls to vote at the last minute. We feel very confident about where we are. We’ve been feeling this surge.”
A poll conducted by Change Research shows a tight contest. The top spot belongs Daley, Lightfoot and Preckwinkle. But Mendoza, Chico, Willie Wilson and Jerry Joyce are within striking distance.
The rest of the field has ground to make up.
In a runoff situation, the poll shows Lightfoot over Daley head to head, Lightfoot over Preckwinkle and Daley defeating Preckwinkle.
What seems almost certain in a field of 14 candidates is no one will get 50 percent of the vote, so Chicago is most likely headed to a runoff. The voters speak Tuesday but it might take time to figure out what they said. When polls close, election officials might not be finished counting the tens of thousands of vote-by-mail ballots.
