* As usual, Congressman Bobby Rush throws down the gauntlet…

“I must admonish the media to end its coordinated commentary on who will be the next mayor of the city of Chicago,” Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) said in a statement, alluding to his African American constituents’ ability to influence the race. “Whoever that person will be will have to come through my community….before anyone is deemed an imaginary front-runner in this particular race, they should pause and take that into consideration.”

Make no mistake about it, race will play a huge role in this campaign. Period. There’s no getting around this, no matter how distasteful Rush’s tactics can be. The question becomes whether black politicos can rally around one person. I don’t see that yet, partly because there’s a growing old/young split in the African-American leadership. But there’s a lot of time left. Pretty much the same thing goes for Latinos.

* David Axelrod told ABC News that Rahm Emanuel would have the president’s blessing if he went for the mayor’s job…

“The mayoralty in Chicago is an unbelievealy attractive opportunity,” Axelord said in a West Wing interview. “And I’m sure if Rahm decides to do that, the President will support that decision.”

* He’s definitely laying the groundwork with targeted leaks…

But staffers at the White House expect that Emanuel will run, one administration official said, recalling what the chief of staff said several weeks ago: “If and when Rich doesn’t run, I’ll do it.”

* Sabato may not be right about this point…

One analyst said he doesn’t think Chicago voters would blame Emanuel for failures in Obama’s political strategy, or for Democrats’ poor performance in the midterms.

“If there’s one place that wouldn’t matter, it’d be Chicago,” said Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, adding that city voters would view his Washington relationships as assets. “’This guy has connections that could do us a lot of good.’ That’s how they think.”

We don’t know what the situation will look like on November 3rd, and if it’s really bad and Emanuel is still in the White House then the mayor’s spot will look like a consolation prize for a horrible loser. That could definitely hurt him. Plus, the Chicago media is not going to give this guy a free ride just because the DC media is all focused on him. It’s just about the toughest town in the news biz, and Rahm ain’t gonna coast through by any means. For example, here’s Lynn Sweet’s lede…

While White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is lionized in Washington, he would not start a mayoral race in Chicago automatically first in line to replace Mayor Daley.

Bloomberg Chicago…

“I don’t think there is such a thing as frontrunner,” said JPMorgan Chase & Co. Midwest Chairman William Daley, the mayor’s brother, a former U.S. commerce secretary and an Emanuel friend.

Other political experts agree that the opening is likely to attract a large number of candidates and that Emanuel, who still owns a home in the city, wouldn’t have the field to himself.

“He’s an opportunist, but he’s got his work cut out for him,” said John McCarron, an urban affairs writer and adjunct professor at DePaul University in Chicago.

And Phil Kadner…

Already, ethnic leaders (black, Hispanic, Polish and Irish) are carving up the countryside like tribal chiefs in some medieval kingdom.

* Keep in mind that whoever runs for mayor will need access to field operations and money…

Emanuel has a million dollars in his campaign fund and formidable fund-raising ability, giving him a running start against rivals — if he jumps in the contest. Emanuel, a former House member from a district anchored on the North Side, is without a solid political base in Chicago. The unions and other progressives are mad at him over national issues that would seep into a mayoral contest.

Emanuel would have to do a lot of work to get Democratic committeemen to unite around his candidacy — but he knows a thing or two about coalition building.

* The Tribune has a comprehensive list of most of the candidates who are being talked about. More from CBS2…

Right now, there are more names being floated than ABC’s in a vat of alphabet soup. We’re hearing boomlets for City Council powerhouse Ed Burke, Chief Judge Tim Evans and even County Assessor Jim Houlihan… If elected, Huberman would be Chicago’s first openly gay mayor. But back in April, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said he would be interested in holding that distinction. He said he would be interested in “exploring the possibility” of running for mayor if Daley retired.

Sun-Times…

Gery Chico, 54, who lost a race for Senate to Barack Obama, was appointed by Daley recently to head up the City Colleges of Chicago. Chico says he’s seriously considering a run, even though he just recently gave away the last of his campaign funds to charity.

“My phone’s been ringing all day with people urging me to run — it’s something I’m very seriously considering,” Chico said.

Freshman Rep. Mike Quigley isn’t ruling out a run. About the only one who flat-out said no was former Chicago Schools CEO Paul Vallas, who has another year left on his contract running the New Orleans schools.

* And Zorn makes a good point…

I’m skeptical that any one alderman has the appeal and political ability to be a strong challenger, but maybe that’s just me.

* Mark Brown handicaps the field…

If Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart becomes a candidate as expected, he quickly becomes the favorite and shuts the door on a number of hopefuls. He’s riding a wave of good press, appeals to both Machine types and Independents and hasn’t burned his bridges in the African-American community.

But he won’t scare everyone off.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel won’t be backed down by a Dart candidacy — and vice versa. Just the same, Emanuel doesn’t seem well-positioned at this moment to make a run, and while he’d be the best-funded candidate, it’s not entirely clear where he finds his niche.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan could throw everything up for grabs if she were interested, though she has never indicated she would be.

If African-American voters were to unite around a candidate as they did with Washington, they could put that individual in the runoff. But if they could agree on a candidate, Daley probably wouldn’t have been mayor for 21 years.

* And Kass makes a good point about what Chicago could be in for…

With Daley’s announcement, Burke will gain power, as the aldermen seek to reassert themselves after spending decades stamping Daley’s writs with their rubber foreheads.

Uncertainty and anarchy scares the business community more than just about anything else. It’s bad enough that the state can’t get its act together. If the city’s politics fall apart, then biz leaders are gonna freak.

* Roundup…

* Daley might retire with extra $1.5M: As of June 30, the mayor had $1,479,823 left in his campaign fund. And under state law, he can claim that as income as long as he pays taxes on it.

* Key dates, requirements on road to Daley’s successor

* Advisers cried, Daley choked up behind scenes

* One hell of a mayor, but Daley makes right call to say so long

* Daley faces aldermen for first time since big announcement

* Did Daley’s hits outweigh his misses?

* Daley’s reign a bit cloudy, a bit sunny

* Murders down, but violence still plagues areas of city

* Most Chicago violent crime numbers down

* Blame the gangs?

* Business leaders laud city’s progress

* Daley reforms revitalized a failing CPS

* Marin: Daley we thought we knew surprises us again

* Mayor knew, nurtured city’s soul

* Daley a father figure for Chicago

* A mayor who showed his love

* Daley announcement not so stunning, really

* Chicago after Daley

* Willis Tower, Macy’s, and life without Daley

* Timeline of Daley’s life, career

* Bridgeport reacts to Daley’s decision