Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel fuels 2028 speculation with New Hampshire bike tour

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is continuing to fuel speculation about a possible run for president after completing a weekend bike ride across New Hampshire.

Emanuel rode 113 miles across the Granite State in what he dubbed his "Spin Free" tour, an effort he said was partly meant to raise money to buy bikes for children. The trip also raised awareness about his interest in a potential presidential campaign in the next political cycle, drawing attention from longtime Democratic strategist David Axelrod.

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Emanuel spent the weekend pedaling through New Hampshire, a key early primary state, while holding a series of town halls. The trip followed a multistate series of town halls he launched last September in Iowa.

"You don't have to be a political analyst to recognize that when a guy takes a takes a bicycle ride through New Hampshire and does five town hall meetings, that there's something on his mind," Axelrod said.

Emanuel, who previously served as Chicago mayor and most recently as U.S. ambassador to Japan, has not denied that he is considering a run for president.

"No, of course not. I've been upfront about it. You know, look, one of the things we've had - not only did we do 113 miles, we did seven town, I think, six town halls, a couple, about 700 folks showed up, but you hear the same constant refrain about this kind of sense of middle class squeeze," Emanuel said.

Axelrod, who served as senior advisor to President Barack Obama while Emanuel was White House chief of staff, said Emanuel has been deliberate in weighing the decision.

"People who know Rahm will find this hard to believe, but he's really approached this with a lot of humility, and asked himself a lot of hard questions about whether this is the right thing for him to do, the smart thing for him to do, whether he was the right person to do it," Axelrod said.

Axelrod also pointed to Emanuel's resume, which includes serving as a member of Congress, mayor, and ambassador.

"I think that he will make noise in this race, and he will be heard. I don't think this is one of those candidacies that is going to come and go in the flash of an eye," Axelrod said.

During the New Hampshire visit, Emanuel addressed voters directly, telling one group, "It's clear to me that you all love this country and this state."

Axelrod said Emanuel's recent activity suggests more than casual interest in a campaign.

"I don't think anybody who's been watching him should doubt there's something on his mind because he's raising all kinds of ideas and issues at a pace and at a level that bespeaks a future campaign," Axelrod said.

Emanuel framed the decision as a question of readiness rather than ambition.

"The real question isn't whether I'm running, it's whether I have what it takes to answer what ails America," he said.

Axelrod said he expects Emanuel to decide by the end of the year.

"Based on everything that he's doing and the increasing pace of it all, the ideas that he's surfacing, I would be surprised if at the end of it he decides that he's not going to run," Axelrod said.

Emanuel could be part of what is expected to be a crowded Democratic field for the 2028 nomination. If Gov. JB Pritzker enters the race, as many expect, Illinois would have two candidates seeking the White House.