Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel considering 2028 presidential run
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Rahm Emanuel gestures as he speaks during a press conference in January. Photo: Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is considering running for president, he confirmed Wednesday.
The latest: In an interview with Crain's Chicago Business's Greg Hinz, Emanuel said, "I'm looking at the (Democratic) field, and most importantly, what I have to contribute."
Context: Emanuel has been vocal about the future of the Democratic Party after returning from his ambassadorship to Japan under former President Joe Biden, but this is the most he's said publicly about vying for the White House.
Zoom in: He's pushing the party leaders to get back to "kitchen table issues" instead of focusing on more progressive issues and political correctness," he told Crain's.
- "We have to go back to how we won. Focus on middle-class economics and values."
Flashback: Emanuel worked as a policy advisor under President Clinton beginning in 1993, before moving to Congress to represent Chicago's North Side. After orchestrating the Democrats' push to win the House in 2006, he left to join President Obama as his White House chief of staff in 2009.
- All this was before running the city of Chicago for eight years, before choosing not to run for a third term in 2019.
Yes, but: Many progressive politicians don't see eye to eye with Emanuel, who has been criticized for his handling of the police murder of Laquan McDonald. He was accused of blocking the release of the video that captured the murder, which happened while Emanuel was mounting his reelection campaign in 2014.
- He was also criticized for closing 50 neighborhood schools.
Reality check: The acrimony isn't just local. Progressives inside the Democratic Party, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), sought to block Emanuel's ambassadorship in 2021 because of the McDonald cover-up allegations, adding it "should be flatly disqualifying for any position of public trust, let alone representing the United States as an ambassador."
Between the lines: That bad blood may be why Emanuel is on the hunt to reclaim the Democratic party. After the loss to President Trump in November, Emanuel has tried to rally the party back to the middle.
The intrigue: Emanuel will be watching closely as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is also a potential candidate, as well as California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
- Pritzker is currently in control of the Illinois Democratic Party and is a shrewd fundraiser, once raising funds for Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016.
- The Illinois governor is also a billionaire.
What's next: First, the midterm election in 2026.