Rep. Gutiérrez, Latinos Line Up In Chicago Mayoral Race

There are currently two Latino candidates for mayor in Chicago, both are running against former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and other candidates, but a divide has fallen between the two because one is Mexican-American and the other is Puerto Rican. Now, Democratic U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (of Puerto Rican descent) has endorsed Gery Chico (of Mexican-American descent).

Gutiérrez, who is Puerto Rican, and who we’ve written about as a strong voice for Latinos in politics and proponent of the DREAM Act. Is a national leader in Latino politics and is a huge deal in Chicago, too. So, the fact that he’s endorsing Chico is significant for many reasons.

WBEZ points out that, because Chico didn’t cut his teeth in Latino politics in Chicago, Gutiérrez’s endorsement essentially lends him street cred. According to the post, “Despite Chico’s ethnic heritage, his connections to the Latino community aren’t nearly as deep as other leading local Latino politicians. Chico isn’t fluent in Spanish, he didn’t cut his teeth in neighborhood politics, nor did he come out of one of the powerful Latino political or community groups that’s spawned many other current leaders in Chicago.” See the campaign video below.