As strong as he polled throughout the 2011 Chicago mayoral race, Rahm Emanuel's most commanding numbers came when they mattered most — election day. The former chief of staff to President Obama handily defeated five other candidates, earning approximately 54 percent of the vote Tuesday.

Attorney and former Chicago Public Schools board president Gery Chico finished in second place with about 24 percent of the vote. City Clerk Miguel de Valle came in third, with over 9 percent and former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun finished fourth with just over 8 percent of the vote.

"All I can say, you sure know how to make a guy feel at home," Emanuel said to supporters Tuesday night while declaring victory. Emanuel faced numerous legal challenges to his candidacy based on questions about his residency. Emanuel lived and represented a U.S. House district in Chicago but moved to Washington D.C. to serve the President in 2009. He maintained ownership of his family's home but rented it out while they lived in Washington.

Emanuel's home is clearly once more Chicago, as the city's voting population has decided to elect him to its highest office.

For Emanuel's full victory speech and to watch his opponents' concession speeches, visit the last two pages of our 2011 Election Day Blog