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 The strains have led to a deterioration in the relationship
between the two politicians, referred to in Illinois political
circles as "Rahm-Rauner." Though Emanuel is a Democrat and Rauner a
Republican, the two have been close friends and even political
allies, with Emanuel appointing Rauner as chairman of the city's
tourism agency soon after he became mayor in 2011.
As governor, though, Rauner has riled Chicago voters with strong
anti-union rhetoric, support for charter schools and proposed
cutbacks to social spending.
These are issues Emanuel's opponent in the run-off election, county
commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, has attacked Emanuel on. And the
mayor is showing signs of distancing himself from Rauner in an
attempt to deflect any criticism of his connections to the governor.
On Tuesday, Emanuel only got about 45 percent of the vote, less than
the 50 percent he needed to avoid a run-off, and Garcia received
around 34 percent. Three other candidates shared another 21 percent.
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, also a Democrat, last week
got an early glimpse into the growing tensions during a private
conversation in which Emanuel asked him to help block Rauner's plan
to cut state payments to Chicago and other local governments.
"He wants me to make sure it doesn't happen," Cullerton told
Reuters.
The turnabout is jarring for the group of business leaders and
political insiders in the imposing skyscrapers of Chicago's
downtown, many of whom have seen Emanuel and Rauner joust in public
while falling back on a longstanding relationship in private. They
first worked together in 2001, when Emanuel as an investment banker
helped with a transaction in which Rauner's private equity firm
ultimately doubled its money.
Politics dictates that Emanuel must criticize Rauner, but the two
still share an agenda of shaking up the state's politics to
strengthen government finances and improve the business environment,
said Chris Robling, a Republican strategist and former commissioner
of elections for the City of Chicago.
"Rahm has to say these (critical) things about Rauner. This is a
perfect foil for him," Robling said. "Rahm knows without someone
applying discipline in Springfield (the state capital), which will
eventually work its way back to straightening out the city of
Chicago, the city will be at risk."
Years of overspending, and underfunding of public pensions, mean
Illinois has the worst credit ratings of any U.S. state and spends
$2 billion a year just to service its debt. Chicago faces a
potential $1 billion budget deficit next year, and Emanuel has not
offered a plan to pay a $550 million state-mandated pension payment
that comes due next year.
LOOKING FOR COMMON GROUND
For Emanuel, the troubled finances in Illinois and Chicago are as
big a political threat as other hot-button issues that have captured
public attention in the mayoral election campaign to date: spikes in
violent crime, school closures, and his reliance on traffic cameras
that catch drivers speeding and running red lights.
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No matter how much Emanuel may vilify Rauner about budget cuts that
will hit the city, he will need to convince voters he has the best
chance of working with Rauner on the state budget, pension reform,
and other issues affecting the city, said a longtime Democratic
party leader in Chicago.
"Rahm has to get something done for the city, and Rauner's budget
will be a big part of that," said the Democratic leader, who
declined to be named because Emanuel had not given authorization for
him to comment.
Emanuel inherited a fiscal mess when he won the mayoralty in 2011,
and like Rauner is now doing, Emanuel billed himself as a tough
personality willing to impose unpopular measures. Emanuel laid off
city workers, privatized services, closed 50 public schools and
rolled out the politically unpopular cameras.
Emanuel's office did not comment for this story. A Rauner
spokeswoman said by email: "While (Rauner) and Mayor Emanuel do not
see eye to eye on every issue, they share a common passion for
rebuilding a great state and a great city and will work together to
accomplish those goals."
The state's labor unions are critical of Rauner, while tending to
view Emanuel with skepticism, and assume the two politicians are
working hand in hand. But they see limits to what the two can
accomplish, particularly since both city and state efforts at
pension reform so far have been blocked by union-backed court
challenges.
"If there are neo-liberals in Chicago who think Rahm and Rauner can
get together and change the world, they are sadly mistaken," said a
union leader and Democratic political operative who declined to be
named because the union concerned has not yet endorsed a candidate
in the election.
Still, believers in the potential power of Rahm-Rauner remain
optimistic. A prominent Chicago lawyer who has worked with both men
said, "They are from different parties so they can't sing 'Kumbaya'
in public if they want to maintain respect. But privately they will
work together."
(Reporting by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by David Greising and Martin
Howell)
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