A stunning decision Sunday by Cook County Assessor Thomas Hynes to drop out of the race for mayor guaranteed a frenzied, final day of campaigning for Mayor Harold Washington and his two remaining challengers.
The 11th-hour move by Hynes gave Ald. Edward Vrdolyak (10th) a chance, albeit a slim one, of staging the third colossal upset of a Chicago mayor in as many elections.
But it is more likely to assure Washington of victory Tuesday with a clear majority of the vote in a three-way race against Vrdolyak and Republican Donald Haider.
Within hours of the announcement, Vrdolyak`s aides said they hoped to buy a half-hour of television time Monday night in an effort to convince the remnants of Hynes` support and disillusioned regular Democrats that they had a shot at defeating Washington.
Washington, whose candidacy for re-election grew stronger by the day since defeating former Mayor Jane Byrne in the Democratic primary, said he didn`t think ”anyone`s dropping out makes any difference.
”When people say you`ve got it in the bag, you`ve just got to keep working,” the mayor, who has expressed concern about complacency among his supporters, said upon learning of Hynes` withdrawal. Washington, campaigning at a South Side church, chuckled lightly as he viewed a replay of Hynes`
announcement on a television camera crew`s monitor.
After a weekend that began with Vrdolyak seemingly more concerned with denying Washington a mandate, the mayor`s campaign now foresees the likelihood of a victory of landslide proportions.
Jacky Grimshaw, Washington`s deputy campaign manager, said the mayor expects to pick up lakefront voter support that might have gone to Hynes, as well as some of Hynes` support on the Northwest and Southwest Sides. She said this may push the mayor to nearly 60 percent of the vote.
A Tribune poll taken last month showed the mayor gaining strength on his already solid 53 percent of the vote if one or more of his opponents dropped out.
As Washington assessed the impact and Vrdolyak geared up for a final assault, others pondered why Hynes would withdraw from the race 16 weeks after his Chicago First Party campaign began and just 36 1/2 hours before the polls open.
The timing and substance of the announcement were as enigmatic as the unfathomable campaign strategy that had led Hynes to quit.
Hynes failed to endorse another challenger to Washington and left the field to candidates he had always insisted could never beat the mayor.
The timing of the announcement was also such that Vrdolyak, the Illinois Solidarity Pary candidate, or Haider have almost no time to build momentum, and may have been designed more to save Hynes from the embarrassment of a third-place finish.
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Hynes aides said, however, that the decision was based on a feeling simply that they couldn`t come in first. ”Tom Hynes was not interested in pursuing the silver medal, as they say. He had said that from the onset,”
said Hynes` campaign manager State Sen. Jeremiah Joyce (D., Chicago).
Hynes could be likely to draw some votes away from other candidates if his name appears on the April 7 ballot.
If Hynes formally withdraws from the race on Monday, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners will consider whether his name can be removed, board spokesman Thomas Leach said. ”We can`t reprint the ballots. It would have to be a tape-over job,” Leach said. ”That`s one of the things we`ll have to consider.” Washington expressed concern about that chance.
Another controversy is likely to arise over the some 23,000 absentee ballot applications that have been submitted to the election board. Leach said he expected most of those votes came from Hynes` strongholds but there might be nothing the board can do about it.
Hynes, flanked by his wife, daughter, two sons and his mother, ironically, gave his strongest speech in his last speech.
”Throughout the campaign, I felt that we could win this race, even with more than two candidates in the race,” Hynes told a crowd at Plumbers Hall, 1340 W. Washington Blvd.
”But I now believe that Harold Washington cannot be defeated if he faces more than one opponent, and I also believe that the other candidates are in this race to stay,” he said.
”I believe with every ounce of fervor in my soul that the people of Chicago deserve an opportunity for a real choice. . . . To give that choice to the people of Chicago, I am announcing here today that I am withdrawing from this contest.”
While some supporters looked aghast, others cried out, ”No! No!”
”I am withdrawing from the contest because I believe the future of Chicago is too important. Mr. Vrdolyak and Mr. Haider must now confront the fact that Harold Washington will win if they both remain in this race. Their hour of decision is at hand.”
Hynes called his top people together late Saturday night in a suite of the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, across the street from his campaign headquarters. Over club sandwiches, cheeseburgers and soup, they talked about the situation. The meeting broke at midnight.
After a midday appearance Sunday at the Belden Deli North, Hynes returned to his campaign headquarters about 2 p.m. with several key aides. At about 3:30 p.m., Hynes reached his decision. There were no tears or choked-back words, observers said.
”There was an anger building up in the communty about the fact that Chicago was not going to get a clear choice, a one-on-one,” said Joyce.
”Discussions were going on all the time until he walked out onto the stage. Committeemen were tyring to talk him out of it,” said Joyce.
Vrdolyak strategist Joe Novak said he would try Monday morning to buy a half-hour of time on Chicago television stations.
”All we want to do is get the message across that this is now a two-way race,” Novak said. ”People are going to wake up tomorrow and realize it`s a new race. People are saying it`s late and there`s not enough time. I`ll take that shot.”
Vrdolyak was greeted by 300 wildly cheering supporters Sunday night at the Polonia Banquet Hall, 4604 S. Archer Ave., his only public appearance after the Hynes announcement.
”I want the help of Mr. Hynes and his supporters,” Vrdolyak said. ”I want the help of Mr. Haider and his supporters, and I want the help of those who supported Harold Washington and have been disappointed.”
Later Vrdolyak commended Hynes and hedged on whether he would seek his support.
Several of Hynes` key supporters began to shift to Vrdolyak Sunday night, some grudgingly, some with a quiet sigh of relief.
Ald. Roman Pucinski (41st), who formally endorsed Hynes just last week, said he now will endorse Vrdolyak. ”Many of the captains are elated,” he said. ”You could sense they were anxious to get working on the Vrdolyak campaign. The Vrdolyak palm cards will be ready by noon tomorrow. The turnout should increase dramatically in my ward.”
Haider, at a news conference at his headquarters Sunday night, praised Hynes and called for Vrdolyak to drop out of the race.