CHICAGO--Former White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod said President Obama's "testimonial" to former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was "very important" to him winning the mayoral race on Tuesday.

The day Emanuel left the White House--Oct. 1--Obama hosted a departure ceremony for Emanuel in the East Room and delivered a speech praising his chief of staff. Emanuel made extensive use of that material in commercials and direct mail for his campaign.

Axelrod, asked about the impact of Obama in the mayoral campaign at his election night victory party here said, "Barack Obama is a very beloved figure in this city and his testimonial to Rahm I think was very important."