FILE - This Aug. 9, 2011, file photo, shows Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Chicago. Emanuel, a former dancer, said Chicago has everything it needs to become a dance center, and is bringing his longtime passion for dance to his new job as mayor. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

DES MOINES – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be the keynote speaker at the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2011 Jefferson Jackson dinner Nov. 19 in Des Moines.

“Mayor Emanuel has proven to be one of the great advocates for Democratic values and middle class opportunity throughout his service in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, as a leader in Congress, and now at the helm of the great city of Chicago,” said Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky of Coralville.

“As we approach the First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses, announcements like this will continue to bring Democrats together and build the organization we need to win in 2012,” added Dvorsky. Today’s announcement follows the Iowa Democratic Party’s launch of TheCaucuses.com, the party’s official website for the Iowa Democratic Caucuses, earlier this month.

The Jefferson Jackson Dinner is an annual event by the Iowa Democratic Party featuring national leaders in the Democratic Party. This is Emanuel’s first trip to the state of Iowa since taking office in May.

Tickets to the event are available online at  www.IowaDemocrats.org/JJ.