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Rahm Emanuel Keeping Low Profile In Mayoral Race

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel is keeping a low profile and letting others attack, and respond to attacks by his political opponents.

CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports he's biding his time, refusing to even mention the names of Karen Lewis or Bob Fioretti.

On Tuesday, Emanuel let an education reform group go after one of them and a campaign spokesman charge another of lacking backbone.

"Why are more corporations now coming back to the city of Chicago where it is number one for corporate relocations and why are more people coming to the city of Chicago than leaving as number one and part of the reason is because Chicago is actually facing up to its challenges, investing in its opportunities and not backing away from them," Emanuel said.

Unlike Fioretti, his campaign spokesman says.

"(Fioretti)...has a notorious history of pandering and inconsistency on some of the city's most pressing issues.... (Fioretti's) consistently stood on the sideline offering only criticism."

"I have a lot of resolutions pending for hearings here in this city. Maybe we would change the direction of this city but quite frankly, I don't see the kind of backbone that is necessary from this mayor to tell his committee chairs to move those resolutions," Fioretti said.

How does the mayor feel about Karen Lewis? Probably pretty much like Democrats for Education Reform.

"Karen Lewis should really make a decision, are we going to have someone on one side of the negotiating table while campaigning to be on the other. It doesn't pass the smell test," said Rebeca Nieves-Huffman with Democrats for Education Reform.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," a spokesman for Lewis responds. "Should she decide to become a candidate for mayor, she will continue to be the same advocate for educators, parents and students and that she's always been."

Nieves-Huffman says Lewis, "would roll back all the great progress we've made on expanding education choices for low income families," if elected mayor.

The group has no direct ties to Mayor Emanuel but supports his position on charter schools.

As to when the Mayor climbs into the ring himself, the smart money says probably not until after the November elections, and Lewis makes her decision, so he knows who he's actually running against.

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