Marathon Pundit: Chicago mayoral race: Laying down the odds

NBC 5 Chicago's Ward Room blog does some handicapping of the Chicago mayoral race. Rahm Emanuel is listed as the favorite, with 7-5 odds.

Following him is former Chicago Board of Education Gery Chico, at 2-1.

When Chico announced, he didn’t look like a very promising candidate. He's never held office before, and in his one attempt at winning an election, he got 4 percent in a U.S. Senate primary. (In fairness, he was running against Barack Obama.) But so far, Chico has run the most impressive campaign. He has a detailed school plan that involves adding 25 days to the calendar and providing every student with a laptop. Paul Vallas endorsed him, and he’s about to win the backing of Ald. Ed Burke, who doesn't want another all-powerful mayor. For Daleyites, he was the mayor’s chief of staff. For anti-Daleyites, the mayor is pissed at him, for suggesting school reform has lost momentum.

Following him, again according to the NBC 5 oddsmakers, are a trio of African-American candidates--U.S. Rep. Danny Davis at 7-1, state Senator James Meeks at 12-1, and former US Senator Carole Moseley Braun at 15-1. I imagine Moseley Braun will drop like a rock once most Chicagoans starting thinking about the race.

In last is Miguel del Valle, the city clerk, at 20-1.

Outgoing US Senator Roland Burris has not officially declared his intention to run, although supporters (He has those?) turned in nearly 20,000 petition signatures.

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