Rahm Emanuel - Mayor of Chicago

Mayor of Chicago

On September 30, 2010, it was announced that Emanuel would leave his post as White House Chief of Staff to run for Mayor of Chicago. He was replaced by Pete Rouse on October 2, 2010.

After being cleared as eligible to run for Mayor by the Board of Elections and the Cook County Circuit Court (his eligibility was challenged on the basis of his lack of residency in Chicago for one year prior to the election), a divided Court of Appeals reversed holding on January 24, 2011, that residency for purposes of a candidate is different from residency for purposes of being a voter. Nevertheless, a further appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court resulted in a unanimous decision reversing the Court of Appeals and affirming Emanuel's eligibility to run for Mayor. Emanuel was elected Mayor on February 22, 2011.

Emanuel's electoral campaign was the inspiration for a satirical Twitter account, @MayorEmanuel, which was written by Chicago journalist Dan Sinker. The account received over 43,000 followers, more popular than Emanuel's actual Twitter account. Emanuel announced on February 28 that if the author would reveal himself, he would donate $5000 to the charity of his choice. When Sinker revealed himself, Emanuel donated the money to Young Chicago Authors, a community organization which helps young people with writing and publishing skills.