The Hill News

Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel sided on Saturday with the Wisconsin unions protesting a bill by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R).

Emanuel, who is running for mayor of Chicago, said that Walker's proposed bill, which would bar some unions from collective bargaining and roll back some of their benefits, is motivated not only by his fiscal agenda but also his political agenda.

"I would totally approach reject the approach the governor of Wisconsin has taken," Emanuel said, according to The Chicago Sun-Times.

Emanuel added that something like that could never happen in Chicago.

"I totally reject the notion that it would happen here," Emanuel said.

Although Emanuel has remained the most popular candidate in the Chicago mayor's race, City Clerk Miguel Del Valle is seen as the more union-friendly contender to succeed Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley.

Nevertheless, Emanuel has retained a strong lead both in fundraising and the polls. Recently a pair of polls showed Emanuel surpassing the 50 percent mark among Chicago voters, which would avoid a runoff between the top two mayoral candidates.

The election is Tuesday.

Over the past week Wisconsin has been in an increasing state of unrest as union protesters have loudly voiced their opposition to the proposal. Last week Democrats in the state Senate fled Wisconsin so a quorum couldn't be called. Protests are expected to continue this week.