Rahm’s next move

It is highly likely that Rahm Emanuel will leave the White House this year and launch a bid to become the next mayor of Chicago. While he hasn’t made his decision public, it has the smell of a done deal.

President Obama recently said Emanuel would be “an excellent mayor,” and the president’s senior advisers have indicated that the former House lawmaker is strongly leaning toward entering the race.

{mosads}Emanuel has long been interested in running for the high-profile post, and Richard Daley’s decision not to seek reelection has provided him with a perfect entry back into elective politics. 

But Emanuel could lose. 

In a recent poll commissioned by the Chicago Sun-Times, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart attracted 12 percent, followed by state Sen. James Meeks with 10 percent and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) at 9.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) received 8 percent and Emanuel garnered 7. The primary is scheduled for February, with a possible runoff in April.

During an appearance on CNN, Jackson took a shot at Emanuel, warning that if the White House chief of staff got in the race, it would “become a national campaign.”

He added, “Rahm Emanuel will have to answer the questions about those communities that have been left behind.”

Gutierrez, meanwhile, is no friend of Emanuel’s. Earlier this year, amid speculation about Emanuel’s interest in running for mayor, Gutierrez told The Hill he would not endorse his ex-House colleague. Gutierrez has not been shy in criticizing the White House on its tepid support of immigration reform. 

Gutierrez and Jackson have not yet said whether they will run to replace Daley.

After the 2008 elections, Emanuel did not know whether he should leave the House to work for Obama, because it would mean he could never become Speaker. It was a big decision for an ambitious man, but it was probably the right one.

If Emanuel becomes mayor of Chicago, he could eventually run for governor and/or the Senate.

If Emanuel departs, another Chicago operative could be replacing him. William Daley, the mayor’s brother, has been mentioned as a leading candidate to fill Emanuel’s shoes. The president would be wise to tap him. Daley served in President Clinton’s Cabinet as Commerce secretary and knows how Washington works. 

He is also close to Obama, having supported him in the Democratic primary. And he served on Obama’s presidential transition team.

Emanuel won’t officially announce his decision until after the midterm elections, but put it this way: We don’t expect he will continue to be a fixture in the capital come Nov. 3.