The results of Chicago's first-ever mayoral runoff are expected in Tuesday, with incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel and Latino challenger and Cook County, Illinois Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia battling in a tight race.

The opponents are in their final hours Tuesday as they scramble for votes while Emanuel is already showing a solid lead in the latest polls.

Yet, Garcia supporters warned not to trust the polls since Latinos and younger voters are not usually represented well in the polls.

"His candidacy is historic in terms of having a Latino run for mayor as a viable candidate," Arturo Vargas, the executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials told NBC News.

The Chicago mayoral race has gotten national attention since Emanuel did not immediately win the primary, although he is a former White House chief of staff. The former aide to President Barack Obama failed to get more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round on Feb. 24.

Emanuel's campaign was well-funded as he spent millions of dollars on television and radio ads, Reuters reports.

There were about 10,000 shootings in Chicago and 50 schools were closed during Emanuel's time in office. Garcia criticized the current mayor for backing big corporations and the wealthy while residents looked to Emanuel for solutions to the city's current issues.

Meanwhile, Emanuel criticized Garcia for not having a plan to deal with Chicago's fiscal problems. The city's budget deficit is expected to grow to $1.2 billion by next year because of public pension payments.

Emanuel's toughest opponent is a Mexican immigrant whose father moved to America as a farmworker. His father was an undocumented immigrant, earned residency, and brought the rest of this family to the United States legally to later become citizens.

"We weren't supposed to be here. We have been counted out by pundits and polls . . . but people have had their say in Chicago. They want change," Garcia said Monday during a public press conference.