Big story from Mike Elk: Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Democratic Congressman from Illinois and potential mayoral candidate for the city of Chicago, slammed AFSCME President Gerald McEntee’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago. Gutierriez said McEntee is a “disgrace to the labor movement” for endorsing Rahm’s candidacy.
On Saturday, I had the chance to catch up with Chicago Congressman Luis Gutierrez, who has formed an exploratory committee to run for mayor. Gutierrez had not yet heard the news when I told him of McEntee’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel at the One Nation Working Together rally. He was outraged. “I’m shocked that Gerry McEntee would endorse Rahm Emanuel, considering what Rahm has done to working people,” Gutierrez told me.
“This is the same Rahm Emanuel who said ‘Fuck the UAW!’ ” Gutierrez characterized McEntee’s endorsement of Emanuel as “a disgrace to the labor movement. … What about all my years paying dues as an AFSCME member or all those year walking picket lines as Congressman? I guess that counts for nothing,” Gutierrez continued.
Ouch – McEntee is going to eat this one. This is nasty, and a sign of what’s to come for Chicago’s mayoral race.