Quinn vs. Emanuel in mayoral race? It would be close, poll shows

While Gov. Pat Quinn lost the governor’s race against Bruce Rauner, Quinn dominated in Chicago where he had more than a 50-point advantage against Rauner. And with support like that, what would happen if Quinn launched a mayoral bid? A new poll shows he’d be in a tight race with Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The poll, commissioned by The Illinois Observer and conducted by We Ask America among 1,058 likely Chicago voters, has Emanuel getting 40.7 percent of the vote, compared to Quinn’s 38.2 percent. Of those surveyed, 21.1 percent are undecided.

With a +/- 3 percent margin of error, it’s a statistical tie.

“The closeness of the Emanuel v. Quinn question is likely a result of the close proximity to the end of the Governor’s race,” said Gregg Durham, of We Ask America.

Quinn has a 12-point lead among African-Americans, while Emanuel has an 18-point lead among whites.

What about other challengers to Emanuel?

The breakdown from the same poll:

• Emanuel: 41.6%
• Garcia: 20.7%
• Fioretti: 15.9%
• Shaw: 5.7%
• Undecided: 15.8%

We Ask America poll