Emanuel currently owes $15,000 to the Mayer Brown law firm, $53,960 to the campaign’s direct mail provider, The Strategy Group, and $53,755 to Eli’s Cheesecake Co.

Despite being projected to win by a landslide, the former Obama administration official failed to secure the 50 percent needed to prevent a grueling six-week runoff against Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a little-known Mexican-born politician.

Emanuel outspent his opponent $13 million to $1.3 million during the course of the race. After pouring money into his political messaging and a receiving an endorsement from President Barack Obama, who appeared in one of his campaign ads, Emanuel retained his seat with 55.7 percent to Garcia’s 44.3 percent of the vote.

“The mayor spent what was necessary to win. It’s not uncommon for campaigns to go into a little bit of debt,” Emanuel’s campaign strategist Pete Giangreco told Politico.

Large cheesecake bills aren’t foreign to the former congressman. According to the Chicago Tribune, Emanuel has spent a total of $116,000 at Eli’s since his first mayoral run.

“He’s wagered cheesecakes. He’s paid off debts with cheesecakes. He sends cheesecakes to corporate CEOs he’s trying to romance to come to Chicago,” Giangreco told the paper last year. “Cheesecakes are the currency of Rahm.”

The city of Chicago, not unlike its mayor, is facing some serious debt.

Emanuel recently proposed a plan to increase property taxes by $558 million over the course of four years to bridge the city’s $20 billion pension gap.

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