Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician, advisor, diplomat, and former investment banker who most recently served as <a href="/facts/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Japan/LkGoRh2s">United States ambassador to Japan</a> from 2022 to 2025. A member of the <a href="/facts/Democratic_Party_(United_States)/MNe3nDrL">Democratic Party</a>, he represented <a href="/facts/Illinois/MuPb1Ctn">Illinois</a> in the <a href="/facts/U.S._House_of_Representatives/cdBPb9pY">U.S. House of Representatives</a> for three terms from 2003 to 2009. He was the <a href="/facts/White_House_Chief_of_Staff/ISD7eMuo">White House chief of staff</a> from 2009 to 2010 under President <a href="/facts/Barack_Obama/76wUMgL1">Barack Obama</a> and served as <a href="/facts/Mayor_of_Chicago/Uxy8lec4">mayor of Chicago</a> from 2011 to 2019.
Born in Chicago, Emanuel is a graduate of <a href="/facts/Sarah_Lawrence_College/lHBzGtAV">Sarah Lawrence College</a> and <a href="/facts/Northwestern_University/4dunJHBf">Northwestern University</a>. Early in his career, Emanuel served as director of the finance committee for <a href="/facts/Bill_Clinton/x5mwYkVh">Bill Clinton</a>'s <a href="/facts/Bill_Clinton_1992_presidential_campaign/RmvzD0f6">1992 presidential campaign</a>. In 1993, he joined the <a href="/facts/Presidency_of_Bill_Clinton/jcvLTFKP">Clinton administration</a>, where he served as assistant to the president for political affairs and as <a href="/facts/Senior_Advisor_to_the_President_of_the_United_States/qSaBG6VB">senior advisor to the president</a> for policy and strategy. Emanuel worked at the <a href="/facts/Investment_bank/WcxWICfI">investment bank</a> <a href="/facts/Wasserstein_Perella_%2526_Co./TRjr2lY8">Wasserstein Perella & Co.</a> from 1998 for two-and-a-half years, and served on the board of directors of <a href="/facts/Freddie_Mac/h4k2ubKo">Freddie Mac</a>. In 2002, he ran for the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives vacated by <a href="/facts/Rod_Blagojevich/LJu4SuVm">Rod Blagojevich</a>, who resigned to become <a href="/facts/Governor_of_Illinois/TPuUqdUW">governor of Illinois</a>. Emanuel won the first of three terms representing <a href="/facts/Illinois%2527s_5th_congressional_district/p3QDX6Mt">Illinois's 5th congressional district</a>, a seat he held from 2003 to 2009. As chair of the <a href="/facts/Democratic_Congressional_Campaign_Committee/yUfarLe0">Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee</a>, he oversaw Democratic wins in the <a href="/facts/2006_U.S._House_of_Representatives_elections/JFIzUdtI">2006 U.S. House of Representatives elections</a>, allowing the party to gain control of the chamber for the first time since 1994.
After the <a href="/facts/2008_U.S._presidential_election/GEIXYxXu">2008 U.S. presidential election</a>, President <a href="/facts/Barack_Obama/76wUMgL1">Barack Obama</a> appointed Emanuel to serve as <a href="/facts/White_House_Chief_of_Staff/ISD7eMuo">White House chief of staff</a>. In October 2010, Emanuel resigned as chief of staff to run in the <a href="/facts/2011_Chicago_mayoral_election/fxQ8SnEq">2011 Chicago mayoral election</a>. Emanuel won with 55% of the vote over five other candidates in the <a href="/facts/Non-partisan/mFJGYF2M">non-partisan</a> mayoral election. In the <a href="/facts/2015_Chicago_mayoral_election/P517k9J0">2015 Chicago mayoral election</a>, he failed to obtain an absolute majority in the first round but defeated Cook County board commissioner <a href="/facts/Jes%25C3%25BAs_%2522Chuy%2522_Garc%25C3%25ADa/o0znd8j7">Jesús "Chuy" García</a> in the subsequent run-off election. In late 2015, Emanuel's approval rating plunged to "the low 20s," in response to a series of scandals.
In October 2017, Emanuel announced he planned to run for a third term, but reversed his decision on September 4, 2018. The <a href="/facts/Chicago_Tribune/Bbms9uy5">Chicago Tribune</a> assessed Emanuel's performance as mayor as "mixed", and at one point half of Chicagoans favored Emanuel's resignation. He left office in May 2019 and was succeeded by <a href="/facts/Lori_Lightfoot/0rmmbXuj">Lori Lightfoot</a>. In August 2021, President <a href="/facts/Joe_Biden/fe2ThfUp">Joe Biden</a> nominated Emanuel to be the <a href="/facts/United_States_Ambassador_to_Japan/cYYE8f7c">United States Ambassador to Japan</a>; he was confirmed by the <a href="/facts/U.S._Senate/VyzXHE01">U.S. Senate</a> in December of that year. Emanuel departed his job in Japan upon the conclusion of the Biden administration in January 2025. On March 12, 2025, <a href="/facts/Politico/k3kQb621">Politico</a> reported that Emanuel was interested in running for president in the <a href="/facts/2028_U.S._presidential_election/JfxypJoR">2028 U.S. presidential election</a>.

Rahm Emanuel open-in-new

Rahm Emanuel