Poll: Rahm Emanuel's Approval Ratings Plummet

Just two years after Rahm Emanuel slid easily into Chicago’s City Hall to replace Former Mayor Richard Daley, Emanuel is nowhere near as popular with Chicago residents as he was after first returning to the city from his post in President Obama’s White House.

A new representative poll conducted by Crains/Ipsos shows just 2% surveyed strongly approve of the mayor, while just 12% of respondents somewhat approve. Conversely, 13% strongly disapprove of Emanuel, with 9% somewhat disapproving.

In Chicago, that gives Mr. Emanuel a net minus 16 rating, down from the plus 4 he had in September, when 37 percent approved and 33 percent disapproved.

Notably, the share of those disapproving of Mr. Emanuel’s job performance hasn’t moved much, going from 33 percent to 35 percent. The big shift has occurred in the “mixed feelings” category — up from 21 percent to 30 percent — and the “not sure” category, which went from 12 percent in September to 16 percent from Feb. 12 to 15, when the survey was conducted.

Crain’s Greg Hinz speculates Emanuel may have “paid a political price” during the Chicago Teachers Union strike last fall, in addition to the city’s record high murder rate. But Emanuel’s aggressive agenda bulldozing homes in the city’s poorer black communities in a so-called effort to reduce violence has also made him extremely unpopular with residents in those areas as well.

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