Rahm Emanuel reportedly in the running to be transportation secretary

(Image credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is on President-elect Joe Biden's list of potential candidates to serve as his transportation secretary, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

There are several people under consideration, the sources cautioned, and an announcement is not imminent.

Emanuel, who also served as former President Barack Obama's first chief of staff, was mayor of Chicago for eight years, turning around the city's transportation system, adding more than 100 miles of bike lanes, and overseeing $11 billion in airfield, terminal, and infrastructure investments at Chicago's airports, AP reports. Michelle Harris, a Chicago alderman, told AP Emanuel is "the perfect candidate for the job" because he "understands government at all levels" and "can start running Day One."

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One of Emanuel's most vocal critics is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who blasted him for the way he handled the 2014 officer-involved shooting of Laquan McDonald. McDonald, a Black teenager, was shot 16 times by a white police officer, and last week, Ocasio-Cortez accused Emanuel of participating in a coverup.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.