Was Rahm lying about a deal with Preckwinkle?

Last week's interview with S-T City Hall reporter Fran Spielman, Rahm claimed Toni Preckwinkle has promised him that she won't run against him.

“She has said that and I believe she’s a person of her word. … I believe she’s not running.

I wrote (prophetically?) :  "If he's telling the truth (big if)..." A big IF indeed. Now Preckwinkle's people are denying that she ever made such a promise. Check out this interview with Spielman and other reporters on CST-TV.

Spielman...

Her political people sent different signals and said, no she didn't really say that.  She basically told him, I don't really like you, but I'm focused on my job... The problem is, she needs to be re-elected first. She can't talk about anything else. After the election, if there's a draft movement already starting, then she can turn right around and pull a Rich Daley like he did in '88.

The Reader's Mick Dumke...

I saw this as Rahm's attempt to put her in a corner.

FOX 32  Political Editor Mike Flannery says Rahm fears Toni...

Public employee union leaders tell me, they say flatly, that she's going to run. And one of these people tell me that in the polling they've done, Preckwinkle wins the wipe-out. In a head-to-head with Mayor Emanuel, clobbers him.

Spielman...

Remember the one thing he has is money and he has a ton of it. He already has $6 million. But what is the one thing that trumps money? Movement. And if you get 80% of the black vote or 90% of the black vote, running to the polls in a Harold Washington-style movement, you have the potential, if she splits the lakefront, gets her piece of the northwest side and soutwest side, which she will because there's police and fire there who don't like Rahm Emanuel, she has the potential to win. 

Dumke then points out Preckwinkle's opportunist alliance with Cook County political boss Joe Berrios, which I don't think will help her much in the Latino communities. Let's see if he can even get his own daughter elected. I'm betting on union-backed Will Guzzardi to defeat her.

All in all, it's still too early to sort out this mess. But one thing for sure. Rahm is running scared.