Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Rahm Emanuel

Discover the career path of Rahm Emanuel, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Rahm Emanuel is an American politician and diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Japan (2022-2025). A Democrat, he previously represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives (2003-2009). Emanuel was White House Chief of Staff (2009-2010) under President Barack Obama before serving as mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019. His career reflects significant involvement in both national and local politics.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1984: Worked on Paul Simon's Campaign

In 1984, Emanuel worked for Democrat Paul Simon's election to the U.S. Senate.

1988: National Campaign Director

In 1988, Emanuel served as the national campaign director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

1989: Senior Advisor for Daley's Campaign

In 1989, Emanuel was a senior advisor and chief fund-raiser for Richard M. Daley's successful initial campaign for mayor of Chicago.

1990: Opposition Research

In 1990, Emanuel conducted opposition research for Illinois Attorney General Neil Hartigan's gubernatorial campaign.

1992: Director of Finance Committee for Clinton Campaign

In 1992, Emanuel served as the director of the finance committee for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.

1993: Senior Advisor to Clinton

From 1993 to 1998, Emanuel served as a senior advisor to Clinton at the White House, initially as Assistant to the President for Political Affairs and later as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Strategy.

1998: Senior Advisor to Clinton

1998: Joined Wasserstein Perella

In 1998, Emanuel resigned from his position as an advisor to Bill Clinton and joined the investment banking firm Wasserstein Perella.

1999: Managing Director

In 1999, despite not having an MBA degree or prior banking experience, Emanuel became a managing director at Wasserstein Perella's Chicago office.

2000: Named to Freddie Mac Board

In 2000, Emanuel was named to the Board of Directors of Freddie Mac by President Clinton.

2001: Resigned from Freddie Mac Board

In 2001, Emanuel resigned from the Freddie Mac board before his first bid for Congress. During this time, he also served on the Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Housing Authority.

October 2002: Iraq War Resolution

After the October 2002 joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War, which Emanuel did not vote on as he was not yet elected, he had previously spoken out in support of the war.

2002: Emanuel Pursued U.S. House Seat

In 2002, Emanuel pursued the U.S. House seat in the 5th district of Illinois, previously held by Rod Blagojevich, who successfully ran for governor of Illinois. He won the primary and defeated Republican candidate Mark Augusti in the general election.

January 2003: Named to House Financial Services Committee

In January 2003, Emanuel was named to the House Financial Services Committee and its subcommittee that oversaw Freddie Mac. He later skipped every hearing allegedly to avoid the appearance of favoritism, impropriety, or conflict of interest.

2006: Co-authored "The Plan: Big Ideas for America"

In 2006, Emanuel co-authored "The Plan: Big Ideas for America" with Bruce Reed, advocating for a three-month compulsory universal service program for Americans aged 18 to 25.

The Plan: Big Ideas for America

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2006: Led Democratic Effort to Capture House Majority

In 2006, Emanuel, as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, led the Democratic Party's successful effort to capture the majority in the House of Representatives.

2006: Ascension to Democratic Caucus Chairman

In 2006, after the Democrats won the elections, Nancy Pelosi persuaded Emanuel to become the Democratic Caucus Chairman instead of challenging Jim Clyburn for Majority Whip. Pelosi agreed to expand the chairman's responsibilities, which included strategy, messaging, policy development, and rapid-response communications.

2006: Oversaw Democratic Wins

In 2006, as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Emanuel oversaw Democratic wins in the U.S. House of Representatives elections, which allowed the party to gain control of the chamber for the first time since 1994.

2006: Congressional Primaries Involvement

In 2006, as head of the Democratic congressional campaign committee, Emanuel assisted Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran, in running against Christine Cegelis in Illinois' 6th district. Duckworth opposed a withdrawal timetable from Iraq, while Cegelis advocated for expedited withdrawal.

2006: Democratic Party Gained 30 Seats

In the 2006 elections, the Democratic Party gained 30 seats in the House, and Emanuel received praise for his leadership of the DCCC.

November 6, 2008: Accepted White House Chief of Staff Position

On November 6, 2008, Emanuel accepted the position of White House Chief of Staff for U.S. President Barack Obama.

2008: Appointed White House Chief of Staff

In 2008, after the U.S. presidential election, President Barack Obama appointed Emanuel to serve as White House chief of staff.

January 2, 2009: Resigned from Congressional Seat

Emanuel resigned from his congressional seat on January 2, 2009, to become White House Chief of Staff.

March 3, 2009: Special Primary Election

On March 3, 2009, a special primary election was held to fill Emanuel's vacated congressional seat.

September 30, 2010: Announcement to Run for Mayor of Chicago

On September 30, 2010, Emanuel announced his departure as White House Chief of Staff to run for Mayor of Chicago.

October 2, 2010: Pete Rouse Replaced Emanuel

On October 2, 2010, Pete Rouse replaced Emanuel as White House Chief of Staff.

2010: Resigned as Chief of Staff

In October 2010, Emanuel resigned as chief of staff to run in the 2011 Chicago mayoral election.

December 31, 2010: Campaign Fund Raising

By December 31, 2010, Emanuel had raised more than $10.5 million in additional funds for his campaign.

January 1, 2011: Illinois Campaign Disclosure Act

On January 1, 2011, the Illinois Campaign Disclosure Act took effect, limiting individual personal contributions to candidates to $5,000. Nevertheless, he continued to raise substantial funds, ultimately having procured a total $15 million over the course of his campaign

February 22, 2011: Elected Mayor of Chicago

On February 22, 2011, Emanuel was elected as the 55th Mayor of Chicago with 55% of the vote.

May 16, 2011: Sworn in as Mayor of Chicago

On May 16, 2011, Emanuel was sworn in as the 55th Mayor of Chicago at the Pritzker Pavilion.

2012: Supreme Court Upheld "ObamaCare"

In 2012, after the Supreme Court upheld "ObamaCare", Emanuel apologized for advising against a broad health care reform plan, stating, "Thank God for the country, he didn't listen to me".

April 7, 2015: Won Mayoral Run-Off Election

On April 7, 2015, Emanuel won the run-off election against Jesús "Chuy" García with 56 percent of the vote.

2015: Won Chicago Mayoral Election

In 2015, Emanuel failed to obtain an absolute majority in the first round of the Chicago mayoral election but defeated Jesús "Chuy" García in the subsequent run-off election. His approval rating later plunged to "the low 20s" in response to a series of scandals.

October 2017: Announced Run for Reelection

In October 2017, Emanuel announced that he was running for reelection in 2019, despite low approval ratings.

April 2018: Emanuel receives honorary Doctor of Laws degree from NUI Galway

In April 2018, Emanuel was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from NUI Galway, a university located in Galway, Ireland, which is a sister city of Chicago. The university cited Emanuel's achievements in education reform during his tenure as Mayor as the reason for the honor.

September 4, 2018: Reversed Decision to Run for Third Term

On September 4, 2018, Emanuel reversed his decision to run for a third term as mayor of Chicago.

September 2018: Decided Not to Run for Reelection

In September 2018, Emanuel decided not to run for reelection as mayor of Chicago.

2018: Emanuel appointed Silvana Tabares as 23rd Ward alderman

In 2018, Emanuel appointed Silvana Tabares as the 23rd Ward alderman of Chicago, filling a vacancy on the Chicago City Council.

August 2021: Nominated as Ambassador to Japan

In August 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Emanuel to be the United States Ambassador to Japan; he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December of that year.

December 18, 2021: Emanuel's nomination as ambassador to Japan is confirmed by the Senate

On December 18, 2021, the United States Senate confirmed Emanuel's nomination to serve as ambassador to Japan with a 48–21 vote. Senators Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Elizabeth Warren were the only Democrats to vote against the confirmation.