The Hill News

Rahm Emanuel has the support of enough Chicago voters to win the mayoral race and avoid a runoff, according to a new poll.

The former White House chief of staff garnered 54 percent in a poll conducted by ABC7/Richard Day Research and released Tuesday. He was followed by former Chicago Public Schools president Gery Chico with 14 percent, City Clerk Miguel Del Valle with 8 percent and former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun with 6 percent. Fifteen percent of those surveyed were undecided.

Previous polls had shown Emanuel with a wide double-digit lead but the ABC7/Richard Day Research poll is the first one to show Emanuel with more than 50 percent. In the Chicago mayoral race, if no candidate can win 50 percent of the vote plus one, a runoff is held between the top two candidates with the most votes.!

Since he entered the race Emanuel has held a double digit lead over his rivals and has raised more than $10 million in the last half of 2010 alone. Emanuel has also received high profile endorsements including one from former President Bill Clinton, who stumped for him last month.

Emanuel's biggest obstacle was a residency challenge to his candidacy. But late last month the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Emanuel met residency requirements to be mayor.

The primary is Feb. 22.