After Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley – the 68 year old who has served the past 21 years as the city’s mayor – announced today that he would NOT seek re-election, my mind immediately went back to a conversation I had a few months ago. I asked White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel about the Chicago mayor job … and whether he would try to run. He told me then, “That’s a job I’ve always wanted. That’s a job I really want. There’s no surprise there.”
But, he quickly pivoted to say he would not run against Daley … and at the time, it didn’t seem likely that Daley would be stepping down. I left it there … wrote it down in a notebook I keep by my desk for such things … but, always wondered what the exit strategy would be for the President’s Chief of Staff.
A few weeks later, Emanuel went on Charlie Rose’s show and said his days of wanting to be Speaker of the House are over, but that there has always been one position he’s been interested in — mayor of Chicago. Emanuel told Rose in plain terms that if Mayor Daley didn’t run for office, Emanuel would like to seek the city’s top job.
He then made clear that he would support Mayor Daley if the six-term mayor decided to seek a 7th term. Emanuel added about the mayor’s job, “That’s always been an aspiration of mine, even when I was in the House of Representatives”.
So today, when word came out of Chicago, naturally we scrambled to get some reaction from the White House. There was none at first. Then, we tried to get to Emanuel directly, and soon thereafter came this interesting statement released from the White House Chief of Staff: “While Mayor Daley surprised me today with his decision to not run for re-election, I have never been surprised by his leadership, dedication and tireless work on behalf of the city and the people of Chicago.”
The Mayoral election is in February 2011. November 15, 2010 is the first day candidates can file for the race, and the deadline to file is November 22, 2010. You need 12,500 signatures on a petition to get on the ballot. A candidate is required to have lived in the city of Chicago for at least the last calendar year.
When asked if someone living in Washington who owns a home in Chicago and is registered to vote there would be eligible, the spokesman for the city answered with this hypothetical today, “If there’s a candidate who happens to be serving in the White House cabinet and maintains a residence in the city of Chicago – it’s possible they could qualify to run for Mayor.” This will be the first open Chicago mayoral election since 1947 – open meaning where an incumbent has not run. This is the first time it’s happened in 64 years in the Windy City.
I would not be very surprised to hear an announcement in the days following the mid-term elections that Rahm Emanuel is leaving the White House to go run for mayor. He would immediately be considered the front-runner. After Emanuel’s interview with Charlie Rose, White House officials were peppered with questions about the “revelation”. At the time – aboard Air Force One – Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton played down the political aspirations of the Chief of Staff saying this: “It’s just an ambition –when I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. Gibbs probably wants to ride in the Tour de France. That doesn’t mean we’re all leaving the White House.”
Ground control to Major Bill — this aspiration may be the real deal.
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