Dec. 04--Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been fundraising for a couple of years and running TV ads for the last two weeks, but he'll hold a rally Saturday to officially kick off his campaign for a second term.
Emanuel has spent the last several months deflecting criticism from his challengers by touting what he portrays as his first-term accomplishments, but his first campaign event Saturday marks the start of his promised campaign offensive as the mayor seeks to reverse sagging approval ratings and convince voters he remains best suited to run the city.
The event, to be held at the Cinespace film studio on the West Side, is expected to draw scores of aldermen and other elected officials and will be punctuated by Emanuel's first speech of the re-election campaign.
Emanuel has launched a campaign website aimed at spotlighting improvements he's made across the city and has aired a pair of TV spots that feature proxies talking about his accomplishments, but Saturday's speech will feature Emanuel's first direct appeal to voters, said campaign spokesman Steve Mayberry.
"It will be a celebratory event to energize our volunteers and supporters, and for the mayor to lay out his vision to continue creating jobs, improving on the record graduation rate, and making the tough choices to build a brighter future for every Chicagoan," Mayberry said in an email.
Also Wednesday, Emanuel's campaign challenged the election paperwork of two potential African-American challengers, Chicago police Officer Frederick Collins and businessman Willie Wilson. A hearing process will play out as the mayor tries to get the two candidates removed from the ballot on the ground they don't have enough valid signatures on their nominating petitions.
On Saturday, Emanuel's speech will mark the latest in a planned series of steps ahead of the Feb. 24 city election, all aimed at reframing the narrative of his first term for voters.
The mayor began airing his first campaign ad Nov. 19, focusing on his push to close a pair of Southwest Side coal plants. The ad also unveiled his campaign slogan: Chicago Together.
That ad, which featured activist Kim Wasserman crediting Emanuel with the closing of the plants, drew a protest from others who had worked for years to shut down the facilities. Representatives from several organizations in Pilsen, Bridgeport and Little Village accused Emanuel of taking credit for an accomplishment that belonged to them. Dubbing the mayor a thief, they also delivered a cease-and-desist letter to Emanuel's campaign, arguing a photo of protesters used in the mayor's ad was used without the photographer's consent.
The Emanuel campaign responded by saying the mayor had played a "small role" but an important one in the closings. The mayor this week started airing an ad focused on his efforts to improve the struggling City Colleges of Chicago.
The mayor has been able to air TV ads first in the race, because he has far more in campaign money than his two top challengers: Ald. Bob Fioretti, 2nd, and Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.
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