On Sunday, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel released the first commercial for his campaign to become Chicago’s Mayor on Youtube.
Emanuel left his D.C. job in September. He officially announced his candidacy in the race for Chicago City Hall on Saturday.
The ad begins by emphasizing Emanuel’s roots Windy City roots.
“Chicago is a great city with great people and I want my children to feel as passionate about this city as I did growing up,” Emanuel says amid footage of him shaking hands in the streets.
The title of Emanuel’s ad is “Tough,” which is appropriate given Emanuel’s reputation as an enforcer and the blunt assessment of Chicago’s future that he offers in the commercial.
“We face big challenges from our schools our streets to our businesses,” Emanuel says.
Emanuel ends the ad with a comment that, in the words of Mediaite’s Rachel Sklar, “smartly appeals to city status anxiety” in Chicago.
“I think we’re at a crossroads, we’ve got to decide whether we’re gonna continue to be a great city or become a second tier city,” he says.
Emanuel’s campaign commercial makes its television debut tomorrow. It will be interesting to see whether playing into the local inferiority complex backfires or brings him votes.
Watch video of Emanuel’s campaign ad below.
