Rahm Emanuel tries out a new primary lane: Democratic ‘consultant in chief’

Rahm Emanuel isn’t waiting for the 2028 presidential race to officially begin.

The former congressman turned White House chief of staff, Chicago mayor and U.S. ambassador to Japan has been making the rounds in South Carolina, the first state on the Democratic presidential primary calendar.

For the second time in recent months, he spent a couple of days this past week, appearing at fundraisers and campaigning for midterm candidates, while pushing his own strategy and message.

Emanuel has been to other early states too, including Nevada, New Hampshire and Michigan, campaigning alongside candidates running in the midterms but also making clear his intentions and political ambitions.

He has also become a near-permanent fixture on the airwaves, outperforming all of his potential competitors in the presidential race.

In the last few weeks, Emanuel has been everywhere, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” a NewsNation town hall with Chris Cuomo, PBS’s “Overheard With Evan Smith,” and Fox News host Sean Hannity’s podcast, which went on for two hours.

“He loves the hustle, and he loves the game, and no one is likely to take more meetings or make more phone calls a day,” Democratic strategist Eddie Vale said.

Emanuel isn’t simply testing the waters, political observers say. He has sought to drive the conversation with ideas, playing what one donor called “the Democratic consultant-in-chief,” trying to fill a void at a time when Democrats have been thirsty for leadership.

But in many ways, his views run counter to the energy in the left flank of the party, where democratic socialist candidates have been gaining steam.

In an interview this week on SiriusXM’s “The Briefing With Steve Scully,” Emanuel said Democrats shouldn’t seek the impeachment of President Trump if they win the House in the midterm elections.

Instead, he said Democrats should pursue an ethics package.

“In 2026, in three weeks from now, the Republicans are going to lose the election. What the Democrats do in 2027 will determine whether we won the election by bringing change,” Emanuel told Scully. “An ethics package brings change. A raise in the minimum wage 20 bucks by 2030 is bringing change.

“You do impeachment, it’s just another food fight,” Emanuel added. “I’m offended by everything this president has done. He has literally turned the Oval Office into eBay on steroids. Get change. Deliver that.”

In an interview with The Hill, Scully said Emanuel “wants to make sure his voice is heard” during the precampaign season.

“I think he would like to be president. I think he is trying to set the debate up for the party,” Scully said. “I think he’s trying to get ahead of the game to plant his flag in the more centrist wing of the party.”

“He wants to lead that battle,” Scully said, adding that Emanuel isn’t just speaking to Democratic audiences but traveling to red states including Mississippi and Louisiana. “I think he’s casting a wide canvas on where he sees the party going.”

By campaigning early, particularly while other would-be candidates are busy governing or campaigning, Scully said, “it gives Rahm a clear path right now.”

Emanuel has also tried to make the case that Democrats can continue to push affordability along with corruption, saying the two issues are “heads and tails of the same coin.”

“The president of the United States gets a $450 million gift from Qatar — Air Force One — and you’re getting $4.50 a gallon of gas,” he added.

John Morgan, an injury lawyer and Democratic mega-donor, said Emanuel is appealing to voters because “he tells it like it is.”

“I love everything about him,” Morgan added. “His positions are very well thought out and he articulates them succinctly and effectively.

“He’s very brash and direct. The question is will that sell?”

Other Democrats say Emanuel is the wrong messenger for the party at this moment.

“He is seen as part of the establishment,” one Democratic strategist said. “And that’s going to be his biggest obstacle: How does he bring people along when they largely want to move away from the past?”

One Democratic donor, who asked for anonymity to express their authentic views, said Emanuel is “really smart, really experienced, but abrasive [and] incredibly disliked.”

Still, the donor added that Emanuel has sought to soften his approach since his days in the White House and in Congress.

“A lot of people are liking what they hear because he’s taking a [more] pragmatic approach than ever before,” the donor said. “He’s a sharp-elbowed, pit-bull kind of guy, but lately he’s acting in a much softer way.”

Susan Del Percio, the veteran Republican strategist who does not support Trump, said Emanuel “right now is the only Democrat I could support.”

“What he’s doing is doing a great service for the Democratic Party,” Del Percio said. “He’s trying to take away some of the stigmas from the DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] that keeps the party’s approval rating so low. He’s trying to start a primary in such a way that can be appealing to voters.

“When you look at his tour, if you will, it’s all about setting up an agenda of what Dems are for, and also how they can appeal to the swing states that it will take to win a general election in 2028,” she said.

Del Percio specifically pointed to Emanuel’s comments about how the DSA wants to be its own party.

“The Dems are all talking about having this big tent,” she said. “But the DSA doesn’t want the rest of the party in their tent. They want their own tent.

“He’s waving this big neon sign saying pay attention to this,” Del Percio added.