Chicago mayor abruptly rules out third run

CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel, whose tenure as Chicago mayor has included a contentious police shooting and a surge in violent crime, said in a surprise announcement Tuesday that he is abandoning plans to seek a third term next year but gave no reason for the sudden change of heart.

The 58-year-old former White House chief of staff known for his pugnacious political style said only that he and his wife “look forward to writing that next chapter in our journey together.”

While in office, Emanuel also led the effort to conduct the largest mass closing of neighborhood schools in American history and is credited with helping to stabilize the city’s finances through politically unpopular increases in taxes and fees. His announcement came the day before jury selection in the case against white police officer Jason Van Dyke, who was shown on video shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014.

“This has been the job of a lifetime, but it is not a job for a lifetime,” the mayor said, reading prepared remarks at a news conference.

Before becoming mayor in 2011, Emanuel was a Democratic congressman and chief of staff to President Barack Obama. In winning the city’s top office, he succeeded Richard M. Daley, and won a second term in 2015.

Emanuel had been running and raising money for months in preparation for the February election. The Chicago Tribune said he had already amassed more than

$10 million for his campaign.

AP/Chicago Tribune/STACEY WESCOTT Rahm Emanuel, with his wife Amy Rule, said Tuesday in Chicago that being the city’s mayor “has been the job of a lifetime, but it is not a job for a lifetime.”