Former Obama Adviser Rahm Emanuel Wins Needed Residency Ruling for Chicago Mayoral Ballot

Next stop, the campaign trail: Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, won a major victory Thursday in his quest to be the next mayor of Chicago, paving the way for his candidacy. Chicago hearing officer Joe Morris ruled Emanuel’s name should appear on the ballot in the Feb. 22 special election, despite the claims that Emanuel did not meet residency requirements after he and his family moved to Washington, D.C. for two years. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners still needs to give final approval and they are scheduled to meet later Thursday to make a decision. In an open public hearing, Emanuel answered questions from residents for 12 hours Wednesday—with Morris even saying the politician who is known for his brash manner was “bending over backwards” to be fair to questions.