Braun stands for mayor

Former United States Ambassador to New Zealand Carol Moseley Braun kicked off her campaign yesterday for Chicago mayor, joining a crowded field that includes former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

Braun, who runs an organic food company, declared her bid to replace retiring Mayor Richard Daley at a lakefront airport Daley shut down to turn in to a nature preserve.

The 63-year-old Braun made history when she was elected in 1992 as the first black woman in the US Senate.

She lost her re-election bid in 1998 and was later named ambassador to New Zealand.