Ahead of the election, there were competitive races to receive the two major party's nominations at their municipal nominating conventions. Mayor Harrison was challenged for the Democratic Party nomination by former governor John Peter Altgeld. However, Altgeld was politically weaker than he once had been, and Harrison easily fended him off. In the March indirect primary to elect the delegates to the city's nominating convention, delegates supporting Harrison won a broad majority. At the convention, Harrison received the party's nomination by acclamation. The Republican Party had a large field of candidates seeking its nomination. Along with Elbridge Hanecy (who was a judge on the Circuit Court of Cook County), the two other front-running contenders for the Republican nomination were William Boldenweck and former alderman John Maynard Harlan. Other contenders that Henry beat were Judge Marcus Kavanaugh, Aldermen William Mavor, Frank T. Fowler, and former alderman Walter J. Raymer.
Nominations
Democratic
Incumbent mayor Carter Harrison Jr. was renominated by the Democratic Party.[5]
Harrison's opponent for the nomination was former governor John Peter Altgeld, who had been a third-party challenger in the previous election. However, his 1901 candidacy for the nomination was not a serious threat to Harrison, as Altgeld had lost much of his influence over the last two years.[5]
There had been rumors that, additionally, Roger Charles Sullivan and John Patrick Hopkins might recruit a candidate of their own to challenge Harrison, but this never materialized.[5]
In the March primary to elect delegates to the city nominating convention, Harrison-supporting delegate candidates won a large majority.[5] At the convention, Harrison was renominated by acclamation.[5]
Republican
The Republican Party nominated Cook County Circuit Court judge Elbridge Hanecy at its city convention on March 2.[5][6] He captured the nomination on the eighth round of balloting.[5] Hancey had previously been an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican Illinois gubernatorial nomination in 1900.
Other candidates who sought the nomination were John Maynard Harlan, Judge Marcus Kavanaugh, Aldermen William Mavor, Frank T. Fowler, William Boldenweck, W. J. Raymer.[6]
The top three contenders for the nomination were Hanecy, Harlan, and Boldenweck.[7]Machine Republicans largely backed Hanecy. Independent Republicans largely backed Harlan. German Republicans largely backed Boldenweck.[7]
Hanecy had been a judge on the Cook County Circuit Court for a number of years.[6] The previous year, Hanecy had sought the gubernatorial nomination, being defeated by Richard Yates Jr. at the state convention by a thin margin.[6] Hanecy was politically allied with William Lorimer, being Lorimer's candidate both in this mayoral election and in the previous year's gubernatorial election.[5][8]
Despite speculation, Harlan denied any intentions of running as an independent if he lost the nomination.[9]
Prohibition
The Prohibition Party nominated Avery E. Hoyt.
Single Tax
The Single Tax Party nominated Thomas Rhodes.
The Single Tax Party was a national organization.[10] It championed Georgism.
Social Democratic
The Social Democratic Party nominated Guy Hoyt.
Socialist
The Socialist Party nominated John Collins.
Socialist Labor
The Socialist Labor Party nominated John R. Peptin.
General election
Henacy campaigned actively, delivering many speeches.[11] Henacy aimed to present himself as a positive alternative to Harrison. He advocated changing the fee system practiced by some city officials and also proposed stronger measures to regulate the streetcar companies.[5] However, his attempts to adopt reformist policies were weakened in their effectiveness by his association with William Lorimer.[5] Reform-minded Republicans were upset that the seedy Lorimer managed to get his preferred candidate nominated by the Republican Party over reformist favorite John Maynard Harlan.[5] Some Republicans unsuccessfully sought to persuade Harlan to run as an independent.[5]
The Republican Party's platform criticized the Harrison administration as "inefficient", "notorious", "scandalous", "dishonest", and cowardly negligent in its,
manner of defending correct and dishonest damage suits against the city, its prostitution of our public schools, its pernicious effect upon the realty and industrial values whereby the property of the individual has been depreciated in value while manufacturing and other industrial interests have been driven from our city.[12]
The traction issue surfaced in this election. The Democratic platform advocated for municipal ownership of street railways.[12] The Democratic platform did not advocate for immediate public ownership, however, making provisions in its platform for the extension of franchises.[12] The Democratic platform advocated for,
Twenty years as the maximum of franchises pending the final ownership by the city with the percentage of the gross receipts as compensation, lower fares in rush hours and better facilitites, and weaver of rights claimed under the 99-year act.[12]
Not only did Henacy propose stronger measures to regulate streetcar companies,[5] but the Republican convention had declared that,
The franchise question must be settled fairly, honestly and promptly between all parties. Long franchises will not be granted. Full and fair compensation must be paid for special privileges in all streets, alleys, and public grounds. The extension of street railway franchises and lowering of the tunnels are questions which demand the immediate attention of the city and must be promptly and fearlessly met. These question should be settled and adjusted simultaneously with each other, and all interests should receive fair and honest treatment.[12]
The Democratic platform also advocated municipal ownership of other public utilities, including gas, electricity, and water.[12]
Harrison took his Republican challenger serious, and campaigned vigorously against him.[5]
Results
By the standards of the era in Chicago politics, Harrison's margin of victory was viewed as a decisive one.[5]
Harrison carried 26 wards while Hanecy carried the remaining nine.[13]
In some of the most Republican parts of the city, Hanecy only managed to win a plurality of the vote, and in others he lost the vote to Harrison.[13] However, Harrison, likewise, suffered in some of the city's Democratic strongholds.[13]
^Kantowicz, Edward. “The Emergence of the Polish-Democratic Vote in Chicago.” Polish American Studies, vol. 29, no. 1/2, 1972, pp. 67–80. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20147849.
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