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Chicago deciding Mayor Emanuel's re-election fate

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel hoped to avoid being forced into a runoff Tuesday as voters weighed his record on schools, crime and jobs in deciding whether to award the former White House chief of staff a second term.

Emanuel was poised to get the most votes after having raised millions of dollars, plastering the airwaves with ads and winning an endorsement from his former boss, President Barack Obama. However, his four challengers say Emanuel's tenacious style and handling of some major city issues have left voters wanting a change.

He needs more than 50 percent to win re-election outright in the nonpartisan race. Otherwise, he'll have to go head-to-head with the runner up, which could be embarrassing for Emanuel, who enjoys not only a huge financial advantage but the backing of business leaders and the endorsement of the city's major newspapers.

The key will be turnout, which election officials had hoped would rival numbers four years ago when Mayor Richard Daley retired after more than two decades and the race was wide open. Early voting numbers - pushed by all the candidates - bested 2011 levels, with a more than 20 percent increase despite a blast of cold weather.

But turnout was light early Tuesday, as wind chills dipped below zero, Chicago Board of Elections spokesman James Allen said. Temperatures were forecast to rise as the day progresses. Chicago voters are also to decide several contested aldermanic races.

Several voters casting ballots in the South Side neighborhood of Englewood said they were supporting Emanuel because he is positive on issues such as job creation, education and safer neighborhoods.

"Rahm has all (those) contacts and he is getting those corporations here, so he is giving people hope they can get a good job," said Willie King, a 56-year-old retired janitor.

But others said they remain angry about the school closings. Joyce Rodgers, who is retired, said she believes they cost Emanuel the trust of the African-American community - and possibly the president's.

"There is total disappointment (in Emanuel)," she said. "I believe that Obama's been let down, too, he's just not going to say it."

Emanuel has campaigned on the idea that his tested leadership is what the city needs.

"You gave me a chance to make the tough decisions this city needed, and we've improved our schools, our infrastructure, and our public safety," he told supporters in an email Monday. "But there's more work to be done, and I'll need your help to make sure we can continue the progress we've made."

The Democrat is facing Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia, Alderman Bob Fioretti, businessman Willie Wilson and perennial candidate William Walls.

They've put Emanuel on the defensive over his handling of a contract dispute that led to Chicago's first teachers' strike in 25 years, the closing of nearly 50 neighborhood schools and a spike in violent crime. They have also criticized his sometimes-combative style.

"In Chicago neighborhoods, people are largely turned off," Garcia said. "They have found him to be distant and uncaring, not really engaging in neighborhoods."

A public-school performing arts teacher said she has been disappointed in the way Emanuel has treated arts education.

"He made some pretty big promises about getting all four fine arts represented in every single school in the city by certified arts teacher when instead what he's doing is pushing for drive-by arts education ... getting private arts organizations to come in after school for two weeks," said Grace Martinez, 35. "And the kids never see them again."

Several South Side voters disagreed, saying they felt Emanuel was compelled to close underperforming schools and schools where enrollment had declined.

"If they ain't performing, what are you going to do? Keep them going?" said Ernest Hudson, a 49-year-old unemployed maintenance worker. "You can take that money and spend it somewhere else where it can do some good."

Emanuel took a neighborhood-focused approach to the campaign trail, including talking up his push to increase the city's minimum wage, from $8.25 to $13 by 2019.

Election officials hope turnout will match the 2011 levels, when roughly 42 percent of eligible Chicago voters cast ballots, up from 33 percent in 2007.

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Associated Press writer Don Babwin contributed to this report.

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Follow Sophia Tareen at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins phone bank workers on election day Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Chicago. Emanuel hopes to avoid a runoff election, as voters head to the polls and decide whether to give the former White House chief of staff a second term in office.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins phone bank workers on election day Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Chicago. Emanuel hopes to avoid a runoff election, as voters head to the polls and decide whether to give the former White House chief of staff a second term in office. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, center, and 8th ward Alderman Michelle Harris, right, join phone bank workers on election day Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Chicago. Emanuel hopes to avoid a runoff election, as voters head to the polls and decide whether to give the former White House chief of staff a second term in office.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
Chicago mayoral candidate, Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, smiles as he holds his electronic card after voting on election day Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Chicago. Garcia is among the four candidates running trying to unseat incumbent Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel. (AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, Brian Jackson) CHICAGO TRIBUNE OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES The Associated Press
Chicago mayoral candidates, Alderman Bob Fioretti, left, and Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, center, cross paths as they both stopped at a Chicago deli for lunch on election day Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015. They are among the four candidates running to unseat incumbent Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel (AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, Brian Jackson) CHICAGO TRIBUNE OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES The Associated Press
Chicago mayoral candidate, businessman Willie Wilson, shakes hands with Herb Harrington at Herb's Barbershop on election day, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Chicago. Wilson is one of four candidates trying to beat incumbent Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel. (AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, James Foster) CHICAGO TRIBUNE OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES The Associated Press
Chicago mayoral candidate, businessman Willie Wilson, talks with supporters outside a polling station in Chicago's Austin neighborhood on election day, Tuesday, Feb., 24, 2015. Wilson is one of four candidates trying to beat incumbent Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel. (AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, James Foster) CHICAGO TRIBUNE OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES The Associated Press
In this Feb. 21, 2015 photo, William Walls, a candidate for mayor of Chicago, greets attendees at Rainbow PUSH headquarters in Chicago. Walls faces Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia, Alderman Bob Fioretti and businessman Willie Wilson in the Feb. 25, 2015, mayoral election. (AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, Richard A. Chapman) CHICAGO TRIBUNE OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES The Associated Press
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