Perspective
A City-Suburban Coalition Can’t Win While the System Favors Rural Voters
Gerrymandering and U.S. Senate composition diminish the power of urban voters. For Rahm Emanuel’s proposed urban-suburban coalition to succeed, this must change.
Striking an optimistic tone after the midterm elections, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has called for a coalition between urban and suburban voters in what he envisions as a durable metropolitan majority built around issues like education, health care, and infrastructure. There is much to Mayor Emanuel’s argument for city-suburb common ground, but this coalition will face fundamental structural difficulties implementing its agenda. As currently constructed, our electoral process systematically favors the preferences of rural and exurban voters.
To move forward with its agenda, any urban-suburban political coalition must recognize this stark reality and decide how best to respond: fight for change, or work within it.