President Barack Obama will postpone announcing the location for his future presidential library until after Chicago’s runoff election for mayor, in an attempt to avoid politicizing his legacy project. Last year the Barack Obama Foundation (which is currently reviewing proposals for the library), stated that the president and first lady Michelle Obama would announce the winner by the end of March. But with the Chicago race still up in the air, the announcement is no longer expected until the beginning of April. The foundation declined to comment on the matter, other than to say there have been no recent updates on timing for the decision. Obama and his foundation wanted to avoid injecting the library decision into the political fray, or to be seen as giving Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel an unfair advantage. Emanuel previously served as Obama’s chief of staff during the president’s first term. Emanuel has remained on good terms with the president since leaving the White House, and Obama campaigned for him and recorded radio ads backing Emanuel prior to last month’s vote. The Obama library has surfaced as an issue in the mayoral campaign in recent weeks. Both Emanuel and Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia are competing aggressively for black voters, who polls show strongly support bringing Obama’s library to his hometown of Chicago.
