Byrne Butts Back In

Unwilling to take no for an answer, the mayor re-enters Chicago's race

In the days of the all-powerful Democratic machine—that is, for nearly all of the past half-century—Chicago's mayoral elections generated about as much suspense as the drying of paint. No more. When Windy City voters choose a mayor three weeks from now, leaders of the national Democratic Party and black communities all over the country will be watching not just with interest but with more than a tinge of apprehension. The election has turned into a test of how much power blacks...