Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia discusses mayoral run

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Despite three decades in Chicago politics, Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia introduces himself to someone new every day.

And despite being a late-comer to the mayoral race, he's not worried about the huge campaign war chest owned by his principal adversary incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

"If you have a record people don't like, you can't buy your way to the fifth floor again," Garcia said.

Garcia, 58, has previously served as a city alderman and state senator. He has also been endorsed by former Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, who explored her own run against Emanuel before she was stricken with brain cancer.

"Chuy is a committed and effective public servant," Lewis said.

Garcia conceded he'll need to win most of the large African American vote to be elected.

"In a contest for mayor, anyone seeking the office would have to do well there," Garcia said.

But mayoral candidate Robert Shaw, former alderman and Cook County Board of Appeals commissioner, says Garcia's candidacy will fail among black voters.

"The African American community will vote for one of their own," Shaw said.

"That could change," said Dick Simpson, a UIC political science professor. "Chuy comes out of a long-term movement going back to the Harold Washington days."

As a 1980s alderman, Garcia was a critical vote in helping the city's first African American mayor win the historic council wars. And today he serves as Cook County President Tony Preckwinkle's floor leader on the county board.

"I've been in many causes that weren't necessarily popular in my community but it was the right thing to do and I think history judges us correct on those matters," Garcia said.

Garcia said he at some point hopes to win the endorsement of Preckwinkle. All of the mayoral candidates, including Emanuel, are collecting signatures on their candidate petitions. Those 12,500 valid names of registered voters must be filed by Nov. 24.