US News

Rahm Emanuel to announce candidacy for Mayor of Chicago on Saturday

Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel will officially declare his candidacy for mayor of Chicago on Saturday, according to Fox News Channel.

The 50-year-old will formally step into the electoral fray at the John C. Coonley School on the city’s North Side at 11:00am local time.

Emanuel’s candidacy will be not official until he submits his petition and the board of elections verifies he has the required 12,500 signatures.

The deadline to get in the petition is Nov. 22.

Emanuel, a Democrat, represented the city’s North Side in Congress for three terms before leaving to become President Barack Obama’s chief of staff. He left that position in October.

The news of his declaration comes after Democrat Alexi Giannoulias ended speculation Friday that he would run for mayor after he lost his US Senate race earlier this month.

The election to succeed Mayor Richard M. Daley will be held in February. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, there will be a runoff in April.

The new mayor will take office on May 16.