• Published 19:34 08.09.10
  • Latest update 19:34 08.09.10

Does Rahm Emanuel want to become mayor of Chicago?

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's announcement that he will not seek another term in 2011 sparks speculation that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will run for the position.

By Natasha Mozgovaya

Many in the White House have to work far beyond the normal hours of a routine work day. The position of White House chief of staff is thought of as one of the most taxing jobs in the American government – few chiefs of staff have succeeded in lasting more than two years.

President Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was uncertain whether to accept when he was offered the job after Obama was elected in 2008 and Emanuel said from the start that he would serve for a limited time period. For this reason, rumors of his plans to leave the post began to circulate long before the two-year mark.

Rahm Emanuel August 4, 2010 AP

President Barack Obama and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on the South Lawn of the White House, August 4, 2010.

Photo by: AP

Accepting the chief of staff post disrupted Emanuel's career as a congressman. Emanuel, who worked in the Clinton administration and made a foray into the private business world before returning to politics as a congressman from Illinois, told Obama that he planned to be speaker of the House of Representatives some day.

Another possibility, which Emanuel discussed in an April 2010 interview with Charlie Rose on PBS, was becoming mayor of Chicago, Emanuel's hometown. Richard M. Daley has been Chicago's mayor since 1989.

"I hope Mayor Daley seeks reelection," Emanuel told Rose. "But if he doesn’t, I would like to one day run for mayor. That’s always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives..right now I am the White House chief of staff but someday I would like to run again to be a public representative."

On Tuesday, Daley announced that he would not seek another term as mayor in the 2011 municipal election. With that election a year and a half away, Emanuel could stay on as chief of staff to aid Obama in the upcoming congressional elections in November but that would leave Emanuel with little time to plan a winning strategy for the Chicago mayorship if he has to face a strong opponent.

In recent months, Emanuel has significantly lowered his public profile. Some critics claim this is because his advice on the Middle East peace process led Obama to make excessive demands of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, causing friction between Obama and the U.S. Jewish community.

In response to speculation about Emanuel's possible run for mayor, White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said: "I have no doubt that he’ll take some time to think about what he wants to do with his future, but I think his focus right now is on his job as chief of staff."
 

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