The Hill News

President Obama says he hasn't been plugging the campaign of his former White House chief of staff, who’s running for mayor of Chicago.

"I don't make calls for Rahm Emanuel," Obama said at a White House news conference. "He seems to be doing just fine on his own."

A poll Tuesday seems to suggest that’s the case. The Chicago Retail Merchants Association survey showed Emanuel with the support of 58 percent of Chicago voters, leading among every demographic and geographic group. That’s a sign Emanuel may be elected mayor on Feb. 22 without being forced into a runoff.

Former Chicago Public Schools president Gery Chico came in second with 23 percent of the vote. Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.) and City Clerk Miguel Del Valle lagged farther behind, with 10 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

The president has not campaigned for Emanuel, but he did say early on that his former aide would be an excellent mayor, and he su! pport Emanuel during a legal dispute over residency requirements. More recently, Obama has said only that he and first lady Michelle Obama plan to vote absentee.

Emanuel has released ads highlighting his work as Obama's chief of staff â€" complete with soundbites of Obama praising Emanuel. Emanuel also received help from another president he worked for. Last month former President Bill Clinton stumped for Emanuel, a coup in Chicago where Clinton remains popular.