(CNN) - If Rahm Emanuel wants to run for mayor of Chicago–and it's pretty safe to say he wants to–he may have to do it without the endorsement of a big name in Illinois politics.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, the state's senior senator, declined to endorse Emanuel for mayor Sunday on CNN's State of the Union with Candy Crowley.
"I have said publicly to Rahm Emanuel, if you want to run, you can't do it from the White House. You need do it from the loop in Chicago," Durbin said, referring to the Windy City's major downtown commercial center.
"No endorsement today, though?" Crowley asked.
"No."
White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Sunday that Emanuel is "drawn to" running and is "working through" the personal implications.
"I think that he loves the city of Chicago, he's always believed that that was the greatest job there is," Axelrod told Christiane Amanpour on ABC's This Week.
From CNN Politics
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Rahm is smart white house will miss him
Yes he will run for the mayor of chicago.I still can't believe Daley won't be Mayor of Chicago..I thought he would be like his Dad.
I think it's great Rahm become the mayor of Chicago as his actions as mayor will either break or make his reputation. Actions speak louder than words. We'll see if he can live up to his reputation.
I hope he does run for Mayor. As much as President Obama likes him, I think he is part of the source of friction in the White House.
CNN's headline is misleading, pulling focus away from the fact that Emanuel's association with Obama is a negative in Chicago, and that Emanuel can't get endorsements there because Obama is such a failure.