Rahm redux: Ex-mayor's criticism fuels comeback speculation

The latest: Emanuel spoke at the Economic Club of Chicago luncheon Monday, taking jabs at Mayor Brandon Johnson and progressive Democrats.

• This comes days after he appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Friday.

What they're saying: "Safe streets, strong schools, stable finances. Focus on those three things, and your city's going to be fine," Emanuel said on "Real Time" after Maher questioned Chicago leadership. "Less about the bathrooms, more about the classrooms."

During the luncheon today, Emanuel was pressed about his comments to Maher.

• "I wasn't looking to have a fight on woke culture," Emanuel said. "I was looking to have a debate on the failure of eighth graders to read."

Between the lines: Emanuel, who served as the ambassador to Japan under President Biden, is making several public appearances sounding the alarm that Democrats must recalibrate their political strategies before the 2026 midterms.

Yes, but: Emanuel's critique of city mayors rings hollow when evaluating his own two terms (2011-2019) in that office.

Safe streets: Data shows that Emanuel struggled to control shootings and homicides during his tenure. There were 200 fewer homicides in 2024 than in 2016.

• Emanuel was also accused of covering up Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke's murder of Laquan McDonald in 2015.

Solid schools: Emanuel should get credit for Chicago Public Schools' graduation rates and test scores improving during his eight years.

• But he also presided over the closing of 50 city schools, the most in the country's history.
• He also feuded with the Chicago Teachers Union, who went on strike for the first time in 25 years.

Stable finances: Balancing city budgets is a tricky science, and Emanuel managed to do so annually. He attempted to implement the practice of delaying and deferring loan payments, but wasn't able to surmount the pension crisis, which helped plunge the city's credit rating to "junk status" in 2015.

• But to balance the budget, Emanuel authored one of the biggest property tax increases in the city's history and introduced and expanded red light and speed cameras, which critics argued disproportionately affected lower-income residents.

Reality check: Even with Emanuel's missteps, he won reelection in 2015 and never suffered the low poll numbers that Johnson faces today.

• Yet Emanuel was very unpopular in the Black community, which has now elected two Black mayors since he left office.

The bottom line: Emanuel may be positioning himself for another run for elected office, but his track record in Chicago will be under a microscope.