March 26--Mayor Rahm Emanuel and challenger Jesus "Chuy" Garcia will meet Thursday for their second head-to-head debate before the runoff election, following an event last week that quickly grew contentious as the candidates sparred over the city's finances.
Thursday's 9 p.m. debate on WFLD-Ch. 32 comes with less than two weeks before the April 7 election, as both men are pressing their attacks and trying to shore up support in their respective bases.
During the March 16 debate, Emanuel criticized Garcia for not offering more specifics on how he would deal with a steep increase in police and fire pension payments and how he would pay for initiatives like hiring more police that Garcia has promised to enact if elected.
Garcia in turn accused Emanuel of not following through on promises to fix the city's financial situation, and of being out of touch with poor and working class families.
During debates before the February first round of voting in the mayoral election, Emanuel sought to portray himself as above the fray against four challengers, presenting a calm demeanor and mostly declining to attack his opponents.
But the debate dynamic and campaign tactics have now changed. In the first one-on-one debate, Emanuel sought to portray Garcia, a Cook County commissioner, as a contributor to the city's financial problems and not up to the task of being mayor.
And the well-financed Emanuel campaign is running television ads pressing those themes as well.
Garcia, who recently returned from fundraising trips to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York, has recently started airing TV spots in which he hits Emanuel for the mayor's controversial decision to close dozens of Chicago public schools.
The two men are set to debate once more, Tuesday on WTTW-Ch. 11's "Chicago Tonight" program.
jebyrne@tribpub.com
