CHICAGO (AP) ― A bow tie-wearing Republican will help decide whether former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel gets to run for Chicago mayor.

The high-stakes political drama has put the spotlight on attorney Joseph Morris, a veteran hearing officer for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

Morris is expected to make his recommendation before Thursday's election board meeting and the board could issue a decision as soon as that day.

More than two dozen people have challenged Emanuel's candidacy, saying he doesn't meet the one-year residency requirement because until October he had worked for nearly two years in Washington for President Barack Obama.

The 59-year-old Morris was center stage last week when he refereed a marathon election board hearing that spanned nearly 30 hours over three days.

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