The Hill News

It was a good week for former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel, who is running for mayor of Chicago, is edging closer to the 50 percent support mark among registered Chicago voters, a new Chicago Tribune/WGN poll released Thursday night found. That's the mark needed to avoid a runoff.

{mosads}While he has been the frontrunner from the start, polls to date have shown Emanuel falling short of the 50 percent threshold.

Still, Emanuel has a double-digit lead over his opponents in the race to succeed Mayor Richard M. Daley. The Tribune/WGN poll had Emanuel with 44 percent of the vote, former Sen. Carol Mosely Braun (D-Ill.) with 21 percent, former Chicago Public Schools President Gery Chico with 16 percent, and ! Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle with 7 percent.

Emanuel's lead comes without winning the major endorsements of Reps. Luis Guitierrez (D-Ill.) and Danny Davis (D-Ill.), who endorsed Chico and Braun, respectively.

Emanuel's fundraising situation is equally, if not more, promising. According to campaign finance reports released Thursday, Emanuel raised nearly $12 million in the second half of 2010. And as with the polls, his opponents trail far behind. Chico raised nearly $3 million, and both Braun and del Valle reported raising less than a $1 million.

A large portion of Emanuel's donations came from some of the most influential names in business and the media, the finance disclosures show. Haim Saban, the CEO of Fox Family Network, for example, donated $300,000. Business mogul Donald Trump and Apple Computers CEO Steve Jobs both donated $50,000. Film producer David Geffen, a major Democratic donor, contributed $100,000. The co-chair ! of the Council on Foreign Relations, former Secretary of State! Robert E. Rubin, donated $10,000.

But the fundraising report also reveals that Emanuel has the support of some of Chicago's most influential donors, including the Pritzker family, which donated more than $10,000.

“Not only do these contributions reflect the strength of our support across Chicago, but they include contributions from business and philanthropic leaders around the country who believe in Rahm’s leadership and his vision for the city,” Emanuel campaign manager Scott Fairchild said in a press release. 

Chicagoans vote for Daley's successor on Feb. 22.