Mr Emanuel is a native of Chicago and represented Illinois’s 5th district in Congress for six years There is growing speculation in the US media that Barack Obama’s chief of staff will leave the White House and run to be Chicago’s mayor.
Unnamed sources close to Rahm Emanuel are quoted as saying he will announce a decision as soon as Friday.
No final decision has been made due to family considerations, the Associated Press reported.
Mr Emanuel is a native of Chicago and represented Illinois’s 5th district in Congress for six years.
When he was appointed as chief of staff, some commentators drew attention to his reputation for abrasiveness.
Pundits have tipped Mr Emanuel to replace Richard M Daley, since the latter announced on 7 September that he would be stepping down.
Mr Daley has been mayor of Chicago since 1989, the second-longest serving in the city after his father Richard J Daley.
If Mr Emanuel does decide to leave, senior White House adviser Peter Rouse has been tipped to replace him, even if only on a temporary basis.
Candidates to permanently replace Mr Emanuel include Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, and the vice-president’s aide Ron Klain, and even former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and ex-Clinton chief of staff John Podesta, Politico reported.
Any decision on permanent replacement may not be taken until after November’s mid-term elections.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.