Rahm Emanuel Near Decision on Chicago Mayor Run
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is close to deciding if he will leave the Obama administration to explore running for mayor of Chicago, a source close to Emanuel told CBS News Monday.
The source said Emanuel hasn't made a final decision because of family considerations. An announcement could come as early as Friday, the source said.
Emanuel has been considering a move since earlier this month, when Richard M. Daley announced that he would not be seeking re-election. A senior White House official told CBS News last week that there was a "decent chance" Emanuel would leave as early as October.
In April, Emanuel said on PBS' "The Charlie Rose Show" that he has always aspired to be mayor, even when he was in the House of Representatives. Emanuel was seen as a rising star in the Democratic caucus and a possible candidate for speaker of the House before he left to work in the White House.
(Scroll down to watch "CBS Evening News" Anchor Katie Couric's interview with Rahm Emanuel that aired on "60 Minutes" last March)"I miss the contact with constituents," he told Rose then. "I miss... running the office, that touch with people."
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