Chicago mayor’s race promises to be most competitive in decades as Daley steps aside

Chicago mayor race wide open as Daley steps aside

CHICAGO — The race for Chicago mayor is suddenly on.

Mayor Richard M. Daley has thrown the competition wide open by announcing he won’t seek a seventh term. The decision ends 21 years of token opposition and prompts speculation about who’ll next lead the nation’s third largest city.

Political observers expect a crowded field as Democrats seize the opportunity.

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is a native Chicagoan and already has said he’d like the job someday. Several aldermen are mulling runs. And Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is considered a strong contender.

Then there are U.S. Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Luis Guitierrez. Jackson considered faceoffs with Daley in the past then didn’t run. Guitierrez could draw support from the city’s substantial Hispanic population.