Emanuel, Chico lead opponents in donations

CHICAGO, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico is keeping pace with front-runner Rahm Emanuel so far this year in fundraising, officials said.

But Emanuel's overall campaign fund held more than $8.3 million at the end of 2010, compared with Chico's campaign assets of more than $2 million to start the year, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Chico, a former Chicago schools chief, has raised about $1.1 million this year, compared with Emanuel's $1.5 million. A law that went into effect Jan. 1 limits the amount of money a candidate can receive from a donor.

Most of the money Emanuel raised since Jan. 1 has come from Chicago law firms. Voters will elect a new mayor Tuesday.

"I think he (Emanuel) has been at most of the major law firms," said former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson, a partner at Winston & Strawn, where Emanuel has received $49,000 in contributions from individual lawyers.

Chico's campaign received $25,000 each from three unions representing city workers -- painters, police and firefighters. He also received about 100 individual contributions of $5,000 each from business executives and trade corporations.

Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, and City Clerk Miguel del Valle, have received far smaller donations this year. Braun had raised about $109,000, while del Valle has raised about $37,500.