On April 6th, to the strains of "La Bamba", Jesus (Chuy) Garcia promised that "Tomorrow, history will be written" and fired up his supporters with the battle cry: "Let's take Chicago!" The next day he lost. Rahm Emanuel, the incumbent mayor, received 56% to Mr Garcia's 44%. Turnout was low: only 40% of voters bothered to go to the polls. Both candidates were Democrats. Mr Emanuel represents the party's business-friendly wing; Mr Garcia, the big-government left. Mr Garcia was handpicked by Karen Lewis, the head of the teachers' union, for his solid record in local politics and his pleasant manner. He did better than expected, earning 34% of the vote in the first round in February and forcing Mr Emanuel into a run-off. But in the seven weeks since, he failed to persuade Chicagoans that he has the skill and stamina to tackle the city's disastrous finances. Mr Emanuel, a former White House chief of staff, made this the main theme of the campaign.
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