Report: Rep. Gutierrez to decide on mayoral bid by Thursday

Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D) will announce whether or not he will run for mayor of Chicago on Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday. 

Gutierrez is reportedly undecided about whether to enter the race, where he’d compete with former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

The Sun-Times reported that the nine-term congressman commissioned a poll of likely voters, which showed him as a feasible candidate who is trailing the top contenders:

The poll of 703 likely city voters was taken between Oct. 5-7 by the Washington, D.C., firm, Lincoln Park Strategies, including interviews with 200 likely Hispanic voters done in English and Spanish…

In a horse-race matchup, the front-runner in the Gutierrez poll is former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel at 27 percent to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, 19 percent; former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), 9 percent; Gutierrez, 8 percent; Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), 6 percent, state Sen. James Meeks, 5 percent; City Clerk Miguel del Valle, 3 percent; Ald. Bob Fioretti, 2 percent and Chicago City Colleges Board chief Gery Chico, 2 percent.

The race was thrown wide open when long-time Chicago Mayor Richard Daley
(D) announced
in September he would not seek reelection.

Gutierrez could serve as a foil to the front-runner Emanuel among Hispanic voters in the Windy City. The congressman polled well among that group and has long served as a voice for comprehensive immigration reform in the lower chamber, sometimes sparring with the Obama White House for not acting to push legislation. 

Candidates must officially file to run by Nov. 22. The open election is scheduled for Feb. 22, but with a glut of candidates running and 50 percent needed to win the race, a run-off between the top two vote-getters is expected to be held April 5.