It's hard to believe that it's only been one week since Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced that he would retire at the end of his current term. The decision launched a flurry of jockeying from some of Chicago's most well-known (and little known) political figures, causing a media stir unlike anything this city has seen in years. But seven days after the Daley bombshell, the dust is beginning to settle and some of the primary contenders to fill Daley's shoes are starting to emerge. Here's a brief rundown of the latest mayoral chatter:

Petition Mania

Over the weekend, several potential candidates launched petition drives to qualify for the February ballot. U.S. Rep. Luis Guiterrez and City Clerk Miguel Del Valle, two popular Latino officials, did so very publicly at the 26th Street Mexican Independence Day parade on Sunday. Gutierrez reportedly collected a sizeable 10,000 signatures in just one day. Progress Illinois has also learned that some residents are circulating petitions in the 1st Ward on behalf of Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Manny Flores, that ward's former alderman. Flores would not offer a direct comment about his future political ambitions.

Latinos could play a key role in the race. While no voting bloc is monolithic, the size of the Latino community has grown substantially since Daley first took office, now making up roughly 25 percent of the city's total population. Mechanic's Ramsin Canon makes a valid point in a post yesterday, however; the number of registered voters in the heavily Latino wards has not significantly increased over the last three years. Taking a page out of the Obama campaign, a smart pol might launch a voter registration drive alongside a petition drive to maximize turnout in those neighborhoods.

State Sen. James Meeks, whose conservative views on gay rights we wrote about yesterday, was also busy on Sunday, wrangling potential voters at a South Side mall. A reverend at one of Chicago' largest and most influential churches, he's not expected to have difficulty meeting the 12,500 signature requirement. The Chicago News Cooperative reports that Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd Ward) is also hitting the pavement. The council member told us last Tuesday that he plans to make clear his intentions "within two weeks." ABC 7's Charles Thomas had a nice report on the process yesterday afternoon. Watch it below:

Rahm Fever

The name on everyone's mind is still Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's Chief of Staff. If he decides (and is allowed) to enter the race, his name recognition and political war chest make him an instant contender. This morning, the Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet noted that Emanuel has asked pollster Stanley Greenberg to survey Chicagoans about a potential mayoral bid:

Sources told me that polling calls for Emanuel were being made over the weekend and that Emanuel has activated his Chicago network of pals to reach out to political figures in Chicago on his behalf. While Emanuel backed out of a Chicago visit this past weekend, I'm told he will be in Chicago by the end of the month.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin told The Hill that he thinks his former Congressional colleague is "talented" enough to win the race. But he cautioned that Emanuel would need to do a lot of work building a political coalition that draws support from the city's diverse constituencies. "You can't do it alone," Durbin said. "No single group can do it."

One candidate who could steal a lot of votes from Emanuel is Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. According to Sun-Times' columnist Mark Brown, his work on foreclosures and the Burr Oak Cemetery controversy as well as his political roots in the influential 19th Ward make him the "candidate to beat." The full piece is here.

Daley's Impact

One question hanging over the race is the role Daley and his allies will play. The mayor has said openly and conclusively that he will not endorse a candidate in the race. But in the report posted above, ABC 7's Charles Thomas mentioned that Daley's political army "is already beginning to scatter." "They are thousands of some of the best campaign workers in Chicago," he added, "[and] all looking for a new boss." Watch the brief clip:

Where will those foot soldiers end up? If Emanuel jumps in, odds are good that he could attract a significant number of them, given his close connections to the Daleys. Chairman Flores tells us that any successful campaign will need to get grassroots supporters involved in the process early. "It can't be a top-down approach," he said.

For those interested in keeping abreast of all the latest horse race developments, we're updating our mayoral tracking spreadsheet daily. You can find that here.