Rahm Emanuel has earned media attention for his sharp critiques of the Democratic Party, self-reflection, and his public calls for the mandatory retirement of members of Congress.

However, it is meatier things, some would argue less sexy criticisms that he has been making, such as education achievement goals in Mississippi and the importance of jobs in the trades that, while not earning big clicks, are very real issues to middle America. These are the voters that his party has ceded to Republicans in congressional races since 2010, and in both the 2016 and 2024 presidential contests.