Rahm Emanuel was President Obama’s right-hand man US President Barack Obama’s former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel says he is preparing to run for Chicago mayor.
Mr Emanuel made the announcement in a video posted on his website, ChicagoforRahm.com.
The move was widely expected as Mr Emanuel has made no secret of his desire to one day run for mayor.
Mr Emanuel – who has a reputation for brashness – is a native of Chicago and represented Illinois’ 5th district in Congress for six years.
“I’m going to spend the next few weeks visiting our neighbourhoods”
Rahm EmanuelProfile: Rahm EmanuelWho has left the White House so far?
Pundits have tipped Mr Emanuel to replace Richard M Daley, since the latter announced on 7 September that he would be stepping down.
In the video, Mr Emanuel said: “I’m going to spend the next few weeks visiting our neighbourhoods (in Chicago) – at grocery stores, L stops (metro), bowling alleys, and hot dog stands”.
“I’m calling this the ‘Tell It Like It Is’ tour, because I want to hear from you – in blunt, Chicago terms – what you think about our city, and how the next mayor and you, can make it better.”
He said that “it was a great honour to work for” President Barack Obama, but he was now “glad to be home”.
“Leading Chicago would be a great responsibility and a tremendous privilege,” Mr Emanuel said.
Earlier this year, he admitted that “one day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago.”
“That’s always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives.”
In his video, Mr Emanuel also paid to tribute to Mr Daley, his long-time political ally.
“Chicago’s a world-class city today because of Mayor Daley’s leadership. He deserves our appreciation.”
Mr Daley – who has been mayor of Chicago since 1989 – announced last month that he would not seek a seventh term.
The mayoral election is due to be held in February 2011.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.