EthnicMajority

(Daily Northwestern) The Sun-Times called it a “surprise win.” A Huffington Post writer called it the “biggest upset of the Chicago elections.”

Ameya Pawar, a program assistant at Northwestern’s office of emergency management, made history on Tuesday when he was elected the first Asian-American alderman in Chicago history, defeating favorite Tom O’Donnell.Pawar narrowly avoided a runoff with 50.8 percent of the vote, while O’Donnell trailed with 43.5.

Even though he was the Chicago Tribune’s and Sun-Times’ endorsed candidate, Pawar, 30, didn’t expect to win — he didn’t even prepare an election-night party.

“I saw him later that election night and he genuinely didn’t think he was going to win,” said Tom Jacks, an NU student working towards a master’s degree in public policy and administration, who ran against Pawar.

Talking on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight the day after his win, Pawar said he received a congratulatory call from mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, who lives in Pawar’s ward, the day after the elections. Pawar could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

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As President Obama prepares to go to Senate Republicans hat in hand next week with passage of an immigration law overhaul on his wish list, some Hispanic lawmakers in his own party are blaming combative White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for the slow pace of progress.

“I don’t think Rahm Emanuel is a positive influence on the immigration debate,” Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill, told the Chicago Fox affiliate. Gutierrez hails from the same state as Emanuel, a former congressional leader. “I don’t think he sees it as a core value of the Democratic Party, or a necessity that the American people need to be acted upon.”

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