CHICAGO (AP) -- Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, just elected mayor of Chicago, is calling his victory "humbling" and "most gratifying." He also is thanking retiring Mayor Richard Daley for his lifetime of service to the city.
Emanuel he says he is ready to meet the challenges head-on to "make a great city even greater." He also says he just talked to President Barack Obama, who sends affection for his hometown.
With 89 percent of the precincts reporting, Emanuel was trouncing five opponents with 55 percent of the vote - a margin that let him avoid an April runoff.
It was the city's first mayoral race in more than 60 years without an incumbent on the ballot and the first in more than two decades without Daley among the candidates.
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