Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias will make a formal announcement Sunday that he is running for mayor of Chicago, NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern has learned.
Giannoulias, who is currently running for reelection as secretary of state this November, will make the decision official at a union hall on Chicago’s South Side Sunday, and he spoke to Ahern about the decision ahead of that announcement.
“It’s the toughest career choice I’ve ever made in my life, bar none,” he said.
Giannoulias has had a long career in Illinois politics, first serving as Illinois’ treasurer way back in 2006. He then lost a tough race for U.S. Senate in 2010, but decided to re-enter politics in 2022, replacing Jesse White as secretary of state after winning a contested primary and general election.
Now, Giannoulias will leap into the Chicago mayoral race with a staggering financial advantage, having banked more than $22 million to finance a run to take the top job at City Hall.
Giannoulias says his record as secretary of state is one of his biggest selling points, and he hopes city residents look to that work when asking about his qualifications for the job.
“I’d say judge me on my record as secretary of state,” he said. “I could not be more proud of the work we’ve done to modernize operations, to streamline services, to bring innovation, to rebuild trust in government.”
Giannoulias says his priority as mayor would be to boost economic growth in the city, inspiring businesses to return to Chicago and to invest heavily in the region.
“The city of Chicago is ranked dead last out of the top 25 metro areas in the country for economic growth, and that’s unacceptable,” he said.
Candidates began circulating nominating petitions last week for the mayoral race, and Giannoulias is far from alone in his quest to become mayor. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is also running, as is Congressman Mike Quigley, who like Giannoulias is also running for reelection in November before pivoting to the mayoral race.
Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas is also running, as are former Chicago Housing Authority CEO Matt Brewer, businessmen Liam Stanton and John Kelly, and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.
One notable name not on that list of currently declared candidates is Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has petitions out but has not formally announced his run for a second term in office.
Some political insiders expressed surprise Giannoulias would run for mayor instead of potentially running for governor, especially if incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker runs for president, but Giannoulias says his love of the city of Chicago inspired him to take this path.
“Is the mayor job a stepping stone? No, it’s the exact opposite of a stepping stone,” he said. “If I wanted a stepping stone, I’d stay where I’m at and have this nice, cushy path. As a matter of fact, I’d say this is probably a career-ender, but I love this city. I care about this city, and I want my daughters to live and say they can be proud of.”
Petitions for mayor must be filed by the end of October, with the election slated for Feb. 23, 2027. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote in that election, a runoff between the top two candidates would take place in April.
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