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CHICAGO (CBS) ― Right now, 23 candidates are vying to take White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's place in the Congress, but Chicagoans will narrow that field to three on Tuesday as they cast their primary ballots.

Candidates had just two months to campaign for the primary and will have another month before the April 7 special election.

• Democratic Candidates
• Republican Candidates
• Green Party Candidates

Emanuel's former 5th Congressional District includes much of the city's North and Northwest sides, including most or all of Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Roscoe Village, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, North Park, Albany Park, Dunning, Montclare, Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Edgebrook and Sauganash. The district also includes all or part of several near western suburbs, including Schiller Park, Franklin Park, River Grove, Elmwood Park, Melrose Park and Northlake.

Voters trickled into polls after they opened at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Election officials said no problems were reported at the district's 578 precincts and voter turnout was expected to be low.

"It's always low in a special primary," said Jim Allen, a spokesman for the Chicago Board of Elections. "There's a short amount of time to get to know the candidates. There's not as much enthusiasm or knowledge as you'd have with a presidential or gubernatorial election where there are months of buildup or scrutiny."

The district, which spans from the wealthy north lakefront to ethnic enclaves of Poles, Germans and Irish with a sizable Hispanic population, had been Emanuel's since 2002. The district has voted overwhelmingly Democratic in past elections for Emanuel, although for one term in the mid-1990s, it was represented by a conservative Republican, Michael Flanagan. It's also the same seat once held by ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski.

Voting traffic at the Lakeview East Cooperative Tuesday morning was steady, it wasn't busy, poll workers said.

It didn't take Ken Bellis, 44, long to cast his vote for Sara Feigenholtz, now an Illinois state representative.

The 12-year district resident, who had voted for Emanuel, had previously voted for Feigenholtz as a state representative because of her support for gay rights and issues affecting people with disabilities.

"I'm hoping she'll take those issues with her to Washington because I know she is going to win today," said Bellis, who works at a nonprofit in Chicago for adults with developmental disabilities.

Martin Plesha emerged from the polls with a one-word answer for how he voted: "Republican."

The 47-year-old, who runs a program business at Wrigley, said he always comes out for elections, even primaries. He said he thought it was important to get out the Republican vote in the Democratic stronghold.

He cast his ballot for Gregory Bedell because he felt he was "a little bit more moderate," noting some of the other Republicans in the race were too liberal for him. 

The candidates vying for the seat include both current officeholders in state, city or county government and political newcomers whose names have been little heard before this election. Whoever wins, candidates are counting on having some advantage in Washington -- although not seniority -- coming from Emanuel's old district in the home city of the president.

Democratic candidates:

• Charles Wheelan, an economist and public policy lecturer at the University of Chicago. In his campaign, Wheelan is touting his background in economics, which also includes a stint writing for The Economist and the book, Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science. 

• Sara Feigenholtz, who currently represents the north lakefront from Uptown to the Gold Coast in the Illinois State House of Representatives' 12th District, and chairs the House Human Services Appropriations Committee.

• John Fritchey, who currently serves as Illinois state senator for the 11th District, representing parts of the North and Northwest sides from Albany Park southeast to Lincoln Park. Fritchey touts his past efforts to "clean up government" and protect Illinois consumers.

• Victor Forys, a Northwest Side neighborhood doctor and a commentator on medical issues in the Polish media who brands himself a "prescription for reform."

• Jan Donatelli, a commercial airline pilot, organized labor activist and Navy veteran who emphasizes that she is a "regular person" rather than a "professional politician."

• Frank Annunzio, a Chicago Housing Authority construction superintendent whose late namesake uncle served in the U.S. House from 1965 until 1993.

• Carlos Monteagudo, a Chicago psychiatrist. Monteagudo's campaign revolves around themes of security, in the face of what Moteagudo calls "the worst convergence of crises many of us have seen in our lifetime."

• Paul J. Bryar, an eye surgeon and Northwestern University Medical School professor, for whom focuses on health care reform is at the top of the priority list.

• Tom Geoghegan, a labor attorney, author, and onetime writer for the New Republic, who touts his background working with legendary reform alderman Leon Despres and touts himself as a strong reformer.

• Cary Capparelli, president of the OMNI-Communique marketing firm, whose father, Ralph Capparelli, was a Far Northwest Side Illinois state representative. Capparelli calls for a focus on constituents rather than "special interests."

• Mike Quigley, who has represents much of the north lakefront as the 10th District commissioner on the Cook County Board. Quigley touts himself as a "proven reformer" who helped lead the fight against tax hikes by County Board President Todd Stroger and his late father, John Stroger.

• Patrick O'Connor, alderman of the Far North Side's 40th Ward since 1983 and Mayor Richard M. Daley's City Council floor leader who touts his strong roots and connections in the district.

Republican candidates:

• Tom Hanson, a commercial real estate broker who won the Republican nomination against Emanuel in the 2008 election. Hanson describes himself as a "liberal Republican," and has said in the past that he is a fiscal conservative, but a social liberal.

• Jon Stewart, a former professional wrestler and motivational speaker who now runs his family auto and real estate company. He also ran in 2000 for the 10th Congressional District seat later won by Mark Kirk. Stewart's campaign focuses largely on tax reform.

• Gregory A. Bedell, an attorney who calls for returning to "the Republican fundamentals of low taxes, responsible spending and reasonable regulation."

• Rosanna Pulido, founder of the Illinois Minuteman Project and a strong opponent of illegal immigration.

• Daniel S. Kay, a sales, marketing and management entrepreneur and Northlake resident who is the only candidate from the suburban part of the district. Kay emphasizes the need to focus on the whole district, not just the part in the city.

• David J. Anderson, a scientist who now runs an electronics development business, who decries corruption and "mismanaged federal government."

Green candidates:

• Deb Leticia Gordils, a longtime activist and staffer in three Chicago mayoral administrations, who ran unsuccessfully against Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) in 2003. She calls for "trading political power for the betterment of the people of this country."

• Mark Arnold Fredrickson, a financial analyst and former precinct captain for Cook County Democratic Party chairman Thomas Lyons, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat as Democrat in 2002 and 2004.

• Alan Augustson, an economist and management consultant who was Green Party candidate in the 2008 general election for the seat. A news release from Feb. 5 said Augustson was "standing down" in his candidacy after his wife became ill, but he is still listed as an active candidate on the ballot.

• Matt Reichel, a political analyst and French language translator who previously served as an organizer for Illinois Peace Action. Reichel is the youngest candidate in the field at 27, and calls himself a "career activist."

• Simon Ribeiro, a kindergarten teacher and swim instructor in Evanston, who ran as a Republican in the 2006 primary for the 9th Congressional District. He focuses on education, jobs and a flat federal sales tax.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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