Rahm Emanuel 'surprised' Chicago mayor won't seek reelection (Hussein boots Daley?)

Rahm Emanuel 'surprised' Chicago mayor won't seek reelection
But the White House chief of staff isn't saying -- yet -- whether he would like to succeed Richard Daley.
By Michael A. Memoli
Tribune Washington Bureau
September 7, 2010|1:23 p.m.

Reporting from Washington — White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday he was "surprised" by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's decision not to seek reelection but offered no hint as to whether he might be a candidate to succeed him.

"While Mayor Daley surprised me today with his decision to not run for reelection, I have never been surprised by his leadership, dedication and tireless work on behalf of the city and the people of Chicago," Emanuel said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday afternoon.

Daley's announcement in Chicago immediately triggered speculation in Washington about Emanuel's future. The former Chicago congressman had once set his sights on being speaker of the House, but being coaxed into joining the Obama administration scuttled those plans.

Since then, however, he's made no secret of his interest in running for office again, with the mayor's job at the top of his list.

"I hope Mayor Daley seeks reelection. I will work and support him if he seeks reelection. But if Mayor Daley doesn't, one day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago," Emanuel told Charlie Rose in an April interview. "That's always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives."

I hope we run some good candidates for Alderman. There are several wards that vote Republican or barley rat when a Republican is winning statewide.

If Doherty wins his leg race and leaves his ward it’s no guarantee we’d hold it. A “conservative” rat held it before Doherty beat him. (the late Roman Pucinski). I hope we have a successor lined up.

In theory it shouldn't be that hard to win Alderman seats in Chicago since they're officially "nonpartisan" and voters won't be able to just blindly punch whatever "D" they see on the ballot. But in the past, whenever a Republicans runs in Chicago the media and Chicago machine is sure to let everyone know that one of those scary Republicans is on the ballot. Usually something along the lines of: "RIGHT WING REPUBLICAN Kurt Eckhardt is the REPUBLICAN Party's choice for 48th Ward Alderman! Don't fall for the GOP's sneaky Republican tricks and accidentally elect a REPUBLICAN!

Sort of like the "nonpartisan" seats in the Kansas legislature. Both parties make it clear which candidate they're backing. You can even go to wikipedia and read the GOP vs. Dem breakdown of Kansas' "nonpartisan" legislature.

I think last time around we only had five Republican vs. Democrat contests out of 50 wards. Most of them survived to the runoff because it was a two-way race to begin with, and one was an incumbent (Doherty). The only ward we came close to winning recently was Ward #42, which is the wealthy downtown gold coast area. It was something to the effect of 52%-RAT candidate, 48%-GOP candidate in their vote for Alderman in 2005.

Things are so much easier in my hometown in suburban Cook. The two local parties merged about 18 years ago. Now it's a one-party combiner slate running unopposed, and they then support whichever party is in power locally and statewide. (no, I'm not joking)

UPDATE:

BIG SHOCKER < / sarcasm >

Obama will most likely pick Valerie Jarrett to replace Rahm.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/us/politics/23bai.html

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