Rahm's Mayoral Win No Guarantee

When the news broke that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel would step down from his post to return to run for mayor of Chicago, many viewed it as a foregone conclusion that Emanuel would get the job. The New York Times says otherwise. “There’s no coronation that’s going to take place,” Representative Bobby Rush, a Democrat from the city’s South Side, tells the New York paper. “He’s a very viable candidate and he’s a smart politician, but he’s got as many challenges as everybody else.” Emanuel’s history of “political magic”—excellent planning, sheer force of will, and ties to President Obama—will help. But there are several reasons he could lose, as well. People could see him as a “carpetbagger,” since he was raised in the wealthy suburb of Wilmette and spent so many years in Washington; he’s uninformed about the Chicago Cubs; he’ll need the black and Latino vote, since he’ll be running against Representative Danny K. Davis and Representative Luis V. Gutierrez; and his Chicago residency is questionable.