Despite the Chicago Teachers Union's plans to make him a one-term mayor, Rahm Emanuel is stocking a handsome war chest with the 2015 mayoral election still a ways out on the horizon.
In particular, many Hollywood heavyweights are pouring cash into Emanuel's campaign coffers on account of his super-agent brother, the Sun-Times reports. The mayor's brother, Ari Emanuel, is co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor, a talent agency with deep ties to the entertainment industry.
Emanuel's political fund has taken in more than $426,000 in campaign cash since the beginning of the year, and the Sun-Times reports more than 55 percent of that money has come from out of state, according to documents filed this week with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Notable contributors include Ronald Meyer, president and CEO of NBC Universal, Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Co. and Aaron Sorkin, TV and screenwriter.
In all, as of April 1, the Tribune reports Emanuel has $1.9 million in his campaign's well-stocked piggy bank.
In the past decade, the TV and entertainment industry has pumped huge sums of cash into Emanuel's various campaigns, though historically the largest donations have come from Emanuel's banking and investment colleagues from his pre-politics days.
As Emanuel amasses a fortune in campaign money, the CTU announced earlier this week it would get political in efforts to oust the mayor from office by or before 2015. Among their announced plans, CTU said it would help train potential candidates for mayor and ramp up donations to its Political Action Committee.
Though the mayor has alienated many of his constituents, particularly union members, the Reader perhaps said it best: "With check-writing friends like Mayor Emanuel's, who gives a f— about enemies?"
Related
Before You Go
