A new poll of some mayoral candidates shows former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel with a huge lead over his competitors. The automated poll was conducted by the Chicago Retail Merchants Association Monday evening after all the candidates’ signatures had been turned in. The poll showed 39 percent of likely voters are supporting Emanuel. One of his opponents, Chicago City Clerk Miguel Del Valle, is dismissing the numbers.

“The polling is still early,” Del Valle said. “I think that as the campaigns unfold and the candidates present issues and we have some debates - as those unfold and the campaigns unfold, we’ll see those numbers changing.”

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in February’s municipal election, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff. Twenty people filed signatures to get on the ballot to replace outgoing Mayor Richard Daley.