CHICAGO — If Rahm Emanuel wants to run for Chicago mayor, the White House chief of staff will have to persuade voters to do what the couple leasing his Chicago house apparently would not: welcome him home.
Emanuel, widely expected to announce a decision about his candidacy within days, recently called the tenants renting his home on Chicago’s North Side and asked them to move out so he could move back in, spokesman and close friend Rick Jasculca said Tuesday.
But the couple said no. They extended their lease until next year just days before Mayor Rich ard Daley announced he wouldn’t seek re- election, Jasculca said, and told Emanuel they don’t want to leave.
The unsuccessful pitch is a concrete on-the- ground signal Emanuel is leaning toward leaving President Barack Obama’s administration for a mayoral run and points to a key hurdle he’ll face if he does. The one-time congressman needs to convince Chicago voters he’s not just a Washington big shot with a reputation for ruthless politics but still one of them.
While Emanuel has been at the center of major national issues, that’s not what brings voters out for local races, said Chicago-based national pollster Michael McKeon.
“Rahm negotiated with Israel, but if the other guy is the one who got your alley paved, what do you think is more important?” McKeon said.
