Former Chicago Police superintendent to run against Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Aamer Madhani | USA TODAY

CHICAGO — Former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced Wednesday that he’s launching a campaign to try to unseat incumbent Rahm Emanuel as mayor of the nation’s third-largest city.

McCarthy served as Emanuel’s top cop for four years before the mayor fired him in 2015 amidst anger in the African-American community over the Emanuel administration and police department’s handling of the controversial police shooting of Laquan McDonald.

In a video announcing the launch of his campaign, McCarthy did not mention his firing, but took aim at Emanuel over his stewardship of the city.

“Unfortunately, Chicago city government has lost our trust, because of failed policies and the endless politics of bluster and bullying,” McCarthy said in the campaign video. “I’m running for mayor to change that.”

McCarthy was fired in December 2015, one week after Emanuel's administration was forced by court order to release a year-old video that showed officer Jason Van Dyke pump 16 shots into McDonald, 17, on a Chicago street. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder on the same day the police dashcam video was released.

Van Dyke is still awaiting trial.

The mayoral election will take place in February 2019, and McCarthy becomes the most high-profile Chicagoan to formally announce his intention to take on Emanuel, who still hasn’t officially announced his intention to run for re-election.

Emanuel last faced voters in 2015, several months before the release of the McDonald video.

In the 2015 campaign, Emanuel was forced into a runoff election by Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, but ultimately prevailed.

Garcia announced in November he would not take on Emanuel in 2019, but instead would seek to replace Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat who is retiring from Congress at the end of this term. Garcia on Tuesday won the Democratic primary for the congressional seat and is expected to sail to victory in November.

At his political nadir in the weeks following the release of the McDonald video, one poll showed that 51% of Chicagoans said that Emanuel should resign.

It's time for new leadership that will fix our problems and pull us together. After thoughtful consideration and at the urging of my supporters, community leaders, and my family, I am officially announcing that I am running for Mayor of Chicago. https://t.co/VFWhqmfnd2 #GMFM -GM — Garry McCarthy (@Garry4chicago) March 22, 2018

McCarthy indicated in his announcement he plans to go after Emanuel over rising violent crime rates, Chicago’s dismal credit rating, and Emanuel’s prickly style.

“I know firsthand how strong and proud and welcoming Chicagoans are,” McCarthy said. “That’s why it’s so painful to see that under this mayor we’re awash in higher taxes, corruption, school closings and violent crime. We don’t have to live like this. Chicago doesn’t have to live like this.”