President Barack Obama said Monday that Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel needs to decide “quickly” whether he is going to run for Chicago mayor in order to get his campaign under way.

During an interview on NBC’s “Today Show,” Obama said Emanuel still has not told him whether he plans to run for the seat being vacated by Mayor Richard Daley, who has held the job for the past 21 years.

“I think that Rahm will have to make a decision quickly because running for mayor of Chicago is a serious enterprise,” he said.

The president said he thought Emanuel would make “an excellent mayor” of his hometown, but he said he would refrain from making any endorsements until Emanuel decides what he is going to do.

Other high-profile figures mulling a mayoral run include Democratic Reps. Danny Davis, Luis Gutierrez and Jesse Jackson Jr. The Associated Press reported Monday that Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is entering the race, while former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman is not going to run because his unsuccessful Senate campaign in the Democratic primary against Alexi Giannoulias had been tough on his family.