30th Ward Election: Reboyras, Gutierrez Poised for Runoff

Incumbent Ald. Ariel Reboyras sought to defend his spot against a challenge from former Rep. Luis Gutierrez's daughter Jessica

Two longtime allies of outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel were poised to advance to a runoff election in Chicago's 30th Ward Tuesday night.

Incumbent Ald. Ariel Reboyras sought to defend his spot against a challenge from former Rep. Luis Gutierrez's daughter Jessica.

Reboyras garnered 48.1 percent of the vote and Gutierrez took 47.4 percent with 94 percent of precincts reporting as of midnight. A third candidate, Edgar “Edek” Esparza, took 4.4 percent, preventing either of the two other candidates from reaching the 50 percent threshold to win the race outright and avoid an April runoff election.

Reboyras chairs the City Council Committee on Public Safety, which oversees the Chicago Police Department, and has backed Emanuel’s agenda items on multiple occasions, including police reform. [[505902811, C]]

Emanuel offered Reboyras his support at a fundraiser in September, according to a video Reboyras posted on his Facebook page, in which Emanuel gave Reboyras credit for bringing a new elementary school to the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood. Reboyras, who was first elected in 2003, also earned the endorsements of the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Jessica Gutierrez is daughter of former Rep. Luis Gutierrez, another Emanuel ally who chaired the mayor's re-election campaign in 2015. Luis Gutierrez announced in 2017 that he would not seek re-election the following year, engineering the victory of his chosen successor, now-Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia - who was Emanuel’s mayoral opponent in 2015. [[481976921, C]]

Jessica Gutierrez most recently worked as a field director on Garcia’s Democratic primary campaign for her father’s Congressional seat. She ran to Reboyras’ left, with the Chicago Teachers Union’s endorsement, a vow to join the Progressive Caucus, and hope that Emanuel’s support would prove detrimental to Reboyras. [[504651202, C]]

Esparza is a 22-year-old college student who also attempted to run against Reboyras in 2015 but did not make the ballot. This time, he played spoiler for both candidates - necessitating another round in which he won't be on the ballot. 

The 30th Ward includes parts of the Belmont-Cragin, Portage Park and Irving Park neighborhoods on Chicago’s Northwest Side.

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