U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez, nearly a contender for Chicago's open mayoral seat himself, has endorsed Gery Chico's campaign for that spot this past weekend, calling Mayor Daley's ex-aide "simply the best candidate to lead Chicago right now." The Chico campaign is already live with a Spanish-language advertisement featuring the high-profile congressman; you can watch it here.

The endorsement is as much a blow to Miguel del Valle's bid for mayor as a boon to Chico's. Del Valle, who has tacked to the left during the campaign, earning him support from some progressive Latino aldermen and traditional liberal organizations like IVI-IPO, might have expected to get the nod from Gutierrez. The congressman counts himself as a member of the House Progressive Caucus after all, and both grew their political careers out of Chicago's Northwest Side Puerto Rican neighborhoods. Furthermore, the City Clerk has been out front in criticizing mayoral frontrunner Rahm Emanuel over immigration, as has Gutierrez.

Del Valle acknowledged he disagreed with the congressman's decision in a press statement Sunday and drew some strong lines between himself and Chico. "My opponent, Gery Chico, has earned millions of dollars off his City Hall contracts," del Valle said. "A well-funded, highly connected insider can neither fix the budget nor halt corruption. It takes proven competence and strong ethics, and I will bring both to City Hall."

Chico, meanwhile, is also on television with two new English-language ads. Take a look at both, rolled here into a single YouTube clip: