Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party and current Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. His 2007 re-election put him in position to become the longest-serving mayor in Chicago's history, a record currently held by his father, the late Richard J. Daley, should he remain in office beyond December 25, 2010.

Daley was chosen by Time in its April 25, 2005 issue as the best out of five mayors of large cities in the United States, and characterized as having "imperial" style and power, he has presided over such successes as the resurgence in tourism, the modernization of the Chicago Transit Authority, the mayoral takeover of the Chicago Public Schools, the construction of Millennium Park, increased environmental efforts and the rapid development of the city's North Side, as well as the near South and West sides. He took over 70% of the mayoral vote in 1999, 2003, and 2007, without significant opposition. Recently, he has been in the public eye for playing a significant role in forwarding Chicago as the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, though not without controversy.

Prior to serving as mayor, Daley served in the Illinois Senate and then as the Cook County State's Attorney. He also served as the 11th Ward Democratic committeeman after his father died, until he passed the role on to his brother John P. Daley.