Cherelle Parker made history Tuesday, when she won the city’s democratic nomination for mayor. SUBMITTED PHOTO
- by Stephen Williams, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
After becoming the first Black female to win the democratic nomination for mayor, Cherelle Parker, 50, is resting at home Wednesday after a hospital visit for a dental emergency, her campaign said in a statement.
A former city and state legislator, Parker won in a nine person race that was competitive among the top five contenders, according to several polls.
Parker said she was “grateful for all the well wishes, thoughts and prayers she received,” and hopes to be available to the media in the near future.
Parker who won 69,499 votes, or about 33% of the voter; beat out Rebecca Rhynhart, the former city controller, with 22.6%; Helen Gym, former councilmember, 21.3; Allan Domb, a real estate mogul, 11.6%; and Jeff Brown, a grocer, who got 9% of the vote.
All of the other candidates have conceded.
“I’m so incredibly honored to have earned the Democratic nomination tonight,” said Parker in a statement on social media. “It’s been a long road, and to see the tireless work of my campaign team, supporters, and family payoff is humbling. I’m looking forward to November and bringing our city together as its 100th mayor.”
In an interview at South on Tuesday, Parker said she was prepared to unify the city.
“I am super-duper excited. I feel this overwhelming, powerful, positive energy coming from the ground up. I am really proud of the coalition that we put together,” Parker said. “We know that we can’t do anything alone. So we have to have people rowing in the same direction. Quite frankly, we need someone who can unify our city. I’m proud to be the person that is prepared to do that.”
The race made history with more than $30 million spent on the campaign by the candidates, or the super PACs, or independent expenditure groups that backed them.
Domb alone spent at least $10 million of his own money on the race.
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