Chi. Mayoral Hopeful Phones It In

Chicago mayoral hopeful Carol Moseley Braun was scheduled to appear at an LGBT event Tuesday night, but she ended up being present only by telephone, Windy City Timesreports.

Some attendees at the Downtown Bar & Lounge had been waiting more than two hours for Braun to show up when event organizer Marc Loveless announced that she would not be able to make it, apparently because of a scheduling conflict, but was on the phone with him. He held his phone up to a microphone, but Braun's remarks remained inaudible to most of the crowd as she expressed a desire for an inclusive Chicago "where everyone would have equality and opportunity and a chance to participate." Some of those at the event expressed disappointment at Braun's no-show.

Braun, a gay-supportive former U.S. senator, is the leading African-American candidate in a city where voting sometimes falls along racial lines. She will face former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and others in next month's election to succeed Mayor Richard M. Daley, who is retiring.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday a Cook County judge upheld the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners' decision that Emanuel had met residency requirements and could stay on the mayoral ballot, but further appeals are expected by those who contend he terminated his Chicago residency when he joined President Obama's staff.