Three top contenders have emerged for the seat of Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who is leaving Congress Friday.

By some counts, there are as many as 18 people who are at least considering a run, but State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley and former Transportation Security Administration official Justin Oberman appear to be the three leading candidates.

All three, he said, have reputations as progressives, which could help them with an electorate likely to be incensed at the political establishment after the arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) and the chaos that ensued. That atmosphere, he said, could also aid some of the lesser-known candidates in the district.

“If I were an unknown, I’d feel emboldened,” Adelstein said.

Feigenholtz has a reputation as a “Lakefront liberal,” and has already raised a “ton of money,” said Northwestern University political science professor Victoria DeFrancesco Soto.

Quigley can tap into what amounts to a “property tax revolt” in the Chicago suburbs, said his strategist, Chicago consultant Pete Giangreco. Quigley has fought tax increases that many voters believe fueled corruption, he said.

Oberman is a business consultant and transportation expert, and many voters will remember his father, Martin Oberman, an independent-minded Chicago alderman for 12 years.

Emanuel announced Monday that he will be resigning his seat effective Friday to become chief of staff to incoming President Barack Obama. Blagojevich will then be required to set a special election within 115 days. Illinois already has a primary scheduled for Feb. 24 and a general election on April 7.

Emanuel’s largely white, blue-collar district is heavily Democratic. John Kerry got 67 percent of the vote in 2004 and Emanuel won with 74 percent of the vote in November.

Among the other candidates believed to seek the seat are Alexander Victor Forys, a physician focused on healthcare reform; Charles J. Wheelan, a public policy professor; Chicago nightclub owner Joey Vartanian; art foundation manager Israel Vasquez, Cary Capparelli, a local businessman and son of a former State Representative; Jan H. Donatelli, a former Delta Airlines pilot and recent Obama campaign activist.

The lesser-known candidates will have trouble getting their campaigns together, Soto said.

“An unknown would need more time to raise money,” Soto said.

Not long after Emanuel announced that he was taking the job, there were reports that he would want the seat back after serving in the White House for two years. Emanuel firmly denies that, but it shaped the early field.

Since then, the maneuvering has been notable for the lack of endorsements and shows of force from outside influences. No one has emerged as a labor candidate in one of the most labor-friendly districts in Illinois. Emanuel and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley have not endorsed and observers do not expect them to.

“I think Rahm and the mayor will both stay out,” Giangreco said.

Adelstein said he is surprised to see many establishment types, like aldermen, staying out of the race. Still, Soto expects Daley and the political establishment to work quietly to winnow the field.