Union money accounts for bulk of Chuy’s campaign cash

Union donations made up the lion’s share of Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s campaign account, campaign records show.

All told, about $700,000 of the more than $877,000 Garcia raised late last year came from union organizations, including the Chicago Teachers Union PAC, the American Federation of Teachers and SEIU, among others.

Teachers unions had pledged to get behind Garcia, a constituency at odds with Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Still, the the financial commitment thus far is nowhere near the $1 million pledge that the AFT offered up to Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis when she flirted with a run.

Garcia and candidate Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) face an uphill battle with fund-raising, when compared to the mountain of cash Emanuel is sitting on. Emanuel enters this phase of the campaign with $6.4 million to spend, Fioretti has just shy of $200,000 and Garcia has about $817,000.

The city election is Feb. 24. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a mayoral runoff election will be held on April 7.