Rahm wins Chicago mayor race, Jesse Jackson the big loser

Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has steamrolled his way to victory in the Chicago mayoral race. With 90 percent of the ballots counted, Emanuel has 55 percent of the vote, Gery Chico, the former president of the Board of Education, is at a distant second with 24 percent of the vote--he conceded to Emanuel a few minutes ago. And poor Carol Moseley Braun--the former US Senator is at 8.8 percent at this hour. But I'm quite pleased the woman I call Carol Mostly Clown got clobbered. The Reverend Jesse Jackson set-up Braun as the unity black candidate on New Year's Eve. But it must seem like Halloween for Jackson--who chose to spend this morning in Madison, Wisconsin. He smelled a rotten pumpkin pie. And it's one he baked.

Maybe, just maybe, race-based politics is finished in Chicago. If that's the case, then there is good news tonight in the Heartland.

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