Pro-LGBT Carol Moseley Braun Announces Bid for Chicago Mayor

Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun formally announced her campaign for mayor of Chicago on Saturday. Braun quickly took on opponent and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who has run commercials saying Chicago must stay a top-tier city, saying it poses "a completely false choice."

"Chicago will always be a great city, because its people will tolerate nothing less," said the 63-year-old former U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand. The challenge is "whether our city will be great for all its citizens or only for those who live in the right neighborhoods, who have the right jobs, who have the right connections, who get the no-bid contracts, and the multi-million dollar paychecks."

"The crowd, who carried signs but often blew on their hands and stamped their feet to keep warm, booed when Emanuel's name was mentioned," reports the Tribune.

Besides Braun and Emanuel, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, former City Colleges chief Gery Chico, City Clerk Miguel Del Valle, and state Sen. James Meeks, the outspoken anti-gay pastor of one of the city's largest mega-churches, have announced their candidacies. Davis was chosen as the "consensus candidate" by a coalition of black politicians, religious and community leaders, who had previously considered backing Braun, the first and only African-American female U.S. senator.

Gay Chicago reports: "As a senator she was one of the most reliable supporters of LGBT rights, breaking with the Clinton administration to oppose Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the military’s ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers, and again to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, which forbade federal recognition of gay and lesbian marriages. 'I’ve always supported the gay community, without hesitation, blinking an eye or a second thought,' Braun said, noting her pride in being inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a friend of the community." Braun was one of only 14 Senate votes to oppose DOMA.

Comments

[Donolectic]

I was very impressed with her Presidential campaign, even though I was a Dean supporter. Much luck to her in this race!

[King Drive]

Work it out, Carol. Work it out!
And kick Rahm Emanuel's MFin azz!

[terrell]

I'm all for Rahm. However if things don't work out for Rahm in his residency issues, Carol has my vote. Ain't no way in hell Danny Davis or Meeks can get the entire city on their side. Danny maybe if he can please lakefront liberals AND the black communit(who by nature are more socially conservative than people think)

[terrell]

I don't know If Carol would have the full support of the LGBT community in Chicago. Maybe the black gays but I think when it comes to the majority white gays who makeup the big northside/boystown they will break for Rahm. But it all depends.

[Former COGIC]

>>>I think when it comes to the majority white gays who makeup the big northside/boystown they will break for Rahm.

Really? Liberal and LGBT activists across the nation DESPISE Rahm Emanuel. When he lead the DCCC, he encouraged the election of conservative Blue Dog Democrats who didnt support progressive causes or gay rights. And as Obama's COS, do we even have to explain how Rahm and Obama are now viewed by the 'majority white gays.'

And sorry Terrell, wtf has Rahm done for black folks, in Chicago or anywhere else?

You're really clueless about gay rights and politics. Last week you were arguing about gaybashing Rev Meeks RIGHT to run for mayor, when he doesn't think YOU have a right to be free from bigotry or harassment. Now you think 'majority white gays' will support the man who advised Obama NOT to give them their RIGHTS.

[alicia banks]

i just hope anyone slays that pit bull bitch rahm!!!

kudos!!!

linked u rod!

u rock!

http://aliciabanks.xanga.com/735915207/chi-town-charades---on-warren-g-derrion-albert-and-hobama/?page=1&jump=1517922997&leftcmt=1#1517922997

[Chitown Kev]

@terrell

You don't know a damn thing you're talking about!

Braun ran for the presidency and supported marriage equality as a Presidential candidate.

Rahm has shouldered much blame for some of the perceived anti-gay slights of the Obama Administartion.

Rahm is not AT ALL popular with the Boystown set.

Oh, and there's a number of black gays on the north side too. Don't think Boystown, this Edgewater and Rogers Park; shit, I can rarely step out of the house without tipping over black gays.

[Chitown Kev]

CMB can put together the type of coalition that can win but there's all that past stuff from when she was Senator (boyfriend "going rogue", the trip to Nigeria, financial mismanagement, etc.)

I live on the north side of Howard St. so I can't vote in this but if I did, CMB would have my vote.

oh, and LOL at terrell and his as*hattery know-nothingness (chile, you can't get out the door good in large portions of Edgewater and Rogers Park without tripping over black queens)

[gold coast]

I'm prob gonna vote for cmb simply because she stands with me on the issues that are important. Rahm Emanuel ain't done nothing for the black community or LGBT for that matter in Chicago. I look at him like all the rest of the politicians coming through our neighborhoods trying to get votes, and then you don't see them again. I don't want another Daley clone in office. Lol @ Kev yes those northside queens are something aren't they.

[terrell]

YEA YEA. vote CMB. Unless Rahm drops out of the race he will win.

[terrell]

YEa sure there are many black gays on the north side. Sure don't see them at Pride in claiming they are never "included". Started their own pride and took the word gay out of it. Majority of Black Gays reside on the south and west sides of the city. U got some sprinkles up north. But I still won't count on whites, they are white before they are gay, voting for carol. Again, if Rahm is not in the race come February next then I dont see Danny or Meeks winning against Carol

[Chitown Kev]

@terrell

Yeah, and blackness means more to you than anything else, we see; I never argued with you about where the majority of black gays lived but it's more than just "a sprinkle" that live on the north side.

And again, the problem with CMB won't be because of her race (it wasn't "race" that got her into office it was the fact that a lot of WOMEN supported her in 1992) but it will be because...well, CMB was a hot mess.

[Chitown Kev]

@goldcoast

Waitaminute, you got something for us Howard St./Broadway & Wilson/Granville & Broadway (to name just a few places) queens...BRANG IT, lol.

See, here's the thing.

The black community was NEVER really Braun's base.

Remember, she won that Senate seat in 1992 with a wave of women voters that were angry at the way that Anita Hill was treated before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Braun won that Dem primary that year against one of the main targets of women's anger...Alan Dixon. (In part, Hillary Clinton rode that same wave of angry women when she made the "I'm not sitting at home baking cookies for my man" comment...and I don't think that Bill would have won that election without the promise of Hillary being the type of activist First Lady that she was proposing to be...it fit with the aftermath oof the Hill hearings.

So don't count out lesbians (and, more generally, women) of all colors voting for CMB.

And of course CMB had all those "diva" issues with her man and past relationships being a hot mess and all...and you know we queens (of all colors) love our tortured divas. If they bring all that past stuff up, folks will rally around her.

The thing I wonder about Braun is...well, the same sort of thing that was a problem during her Senate term; her management skills and...well, there IS the matter of all that drama.

But if I lived in Chicago as opposed to Evanston, I would vote for her.