United States President Barack Obama's former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, has confirmed that he will run for mayor of Chicago.
Mr Emanuel made the announcement in a video posted on his website, ChicagoforRahm.com.
The move was widely expected, the BBC reports, as Mr Emanuel has made no secret of his desire to one day run for mayor. A native of Chicago, he represented Illinois' fifth district in Congress for six years.
Pundits are picking him to succeed current mayor Richard M Daley, who announced on 7 September that he would be stepping down.
In the video, Mr Emanuel says it was a great honour to work for President Obama but he was now "glad to be home".
