September 8, 2010 11:57 AM

Axelrod: Rahm Emanuel Would be a Great Chicago Mayor

By
Stephanie Condon
Topics
Democrats ,
White House ,
Obama Administration ,
State Politics
Rahm Emanuel

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel may run for mayor of Chicago.

(Credit: AP)

Following the revelation that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley will not seek another term in office next year, speculation is mounting about whether White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will enter the race to replace him.

Emanuel himself released a statement saying the six-term mayor's decision surprised him. The Chicago native and former congressman has said in the past he would be interested in running, so long as Daley were out of the race.

In an interview with CBS News Radio this morning, White House senior adviser David Axelrod said that Emanuel has yet to make a decision about whether to leave his White House job and jump into the race.

"He and I both learned at the same time yesterday that mayor wasn't going to run," Axelrod said. "We were stunned, having both worked for him and knowing how much he loves that job. Rahm hasn't really had a chance to really digest that news."

Axelrod added that Emanuel would be "a great mayor because he's a larger than life personality, a personality who loves the city. He's not afraid to make decisions and to tackle hard problems."

Emanuel is "vital to the president" in his capacity as chief of staff, so he will have a hard decision to make, Axelrod said.

If Emanuel were to run, Politico suggests the most likely candidate to replace him as chief of staff could be Tom Donilon, a deputy national security adviser. Donilon served as the first assistant secretary of state for public affairs under President Bill Clinton, and his political experience dates back to the Carter-Mondale campaign.

Politico also names a number of other potential candidates for the job, including Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden; White House senior advisers Valerie Jarrett and Pete Rouse; and National Security Council chief of staff Denis McDonough.

The Associated Press reports that Daley, when asked about an Emanuel run, said Emanuel is a friend but added, "I think there are many people out there who would be great mayors."

Indeed, Emanuel is one of a number of legitimate potential candidates. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is considered a strong possible contender, according to the AP, along with U.S. Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Luis Guitierrez.

The filing deadline to enter the mayor's race is November 22, meaning Emanuel has little time to make a decision. The election will be held on February 22, 2011.


Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.


Add a Comment
by afmcalax September 8, 2010 12:35 PM EDT
He might be a great mayor of a city like Chicago where ethics are not a job requirement. Hopefully he will be a better mayor than Chief of Staff because his handling of the Obama White House has been an unmitigated disaster. He took a President that came in with so much promise and destroyed the promise with his Chicago style political manuevers. Good riddance ... I for one will not be sad to see him go. Obama needs to replace him wioth someone with more common sense.
Reply to this comment
by endurorob_5 September 8, 2010 1:14 PM EDT
The Chicago style politics is Obam's style. Why do you think hemoved from warm Hawaii to cold Chicago. It is well known that he hates the cold.
by canislupus16 September 8, 2010 1:54 PM EDT
To bcc243 - You confuse me: "He will resign before his first term is up. The demand for him to step down will be unavoidable." Based on what? What are you referring to? "The investigations into the criminal activity and the threat of impeachment will leave him no choice." bcc, what criminal activity are you referring to? I mean, if there is some criminal activity, i.e., an impeachable criminal offense, what is it, or what are they? This is not a rhetorical question, just asking. Lastly, in this day and age, unfortunately a lot of our presidents are not respected. Used to be people might disagree with the president but at least held some respect for him. There are some decisions and actions Obama has made, or not made, with which I disagree strongly. I may not respect him for some things but overall I do - he is the president. btw, I voted for him but am very unhappy with some some of his agenda and how he has executed the office of president. I disagreed with Bush on many fronts (I did not vote for him either time) but as president respected him as such. I did not/do not respect the supreme court for the clearly political manner in which they handed Bush the presidency in 2000.

To afmcalax - I should probably follow the COS's doings more closely but have felt all along that that individual is typically the president's gatekeeper. Whether it's Emanuel or Obama, the handling of the WH and this presidency has been a disaster. Somebody lacks basic administrator and housekeeping abilities. Just to cite one example, take court appointments and appointments to high level executive positions. There are literally hundreeds that have gone vacant for Obama's entire tenure thus far. To be sure, Senate republicans are the root of most delays put on those nominated. Others haven't even been nominated, or weren't for a long time. The bigger issue though is, don't expect republicans to change and approve anybody, and stop with this bi-partisan nonsense. They want no part of it. Obama should go ahead and make recess appointments en masse. He is forgetting the bigger issue that the democrats may lose even their tenuous hold on the senate, after which nothing at all will get done. Obama will have lost the opportunity to put into place judges that are not bought and paid for by big business and corporate interests.
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