It's official: Rahm Emanuel can run for mayor of Chicago. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners ruled Thursday that Emanuel meets the Chicago-residence requirement despite living in Washington, D.C., for the past year and a half while working as President Obama's chief of staff. On paper, he looks like a shoo-in. Emanuel leads his opponents by a sizable poling margin: In a Chicago Tribune/WGN poll released December 14, he led his nearest competitor by 21 percent.