Race for Chicago mayor 2027: One potential candidate well ahead in fundraising
CHICAGO - The field of candidates for Chicago’s mayoral race next year is taking shape, and one potential heavyweight is well ahead of the field in fundraising through the first half of this year.
What we know:
While he has not actually announced any intention to run for mayor, Alexi Giannoulias, the sitting Secretary of State of Illinois, is widely considered to be a top contender for the mayor’s office in 2027.
He has by far the most money to utilize for a campaign, with nearly $22 million in the bank as of June 30, according to the latest state campaign filing. That's more than 10 times what the candidate with the second-largest war chest has.
The only other candidates and potential candidates to have more than $1 million in the bank were lobbyist John Kelly Jr., Illinoist Comptroller Susana Mendoza, and entrepreneur Joe Holberg. Ald. Bill Conway (34th Ward), has not officially announced any intention to run for mayor, but is widely seen as a potential candidate and also has a little over $1 million in fundraising.
But Giannoulias turned heads last week when he released two campaign advertisements as he runs for reelection statewide in November. In the ads, he highlights his picking fights with the Trump administration's immigration policies and efforts to ban certain books over ideology.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias released two campaign ads last week despite being widely expected to sail to reelection in November. The move has fueled speculation that he's setting himself up for a run as mayor of Chicago next year.
While political ads are not unusual in the middle of a midterm cycle, Giannoulias won his first term as Secretary of State in 2022 by a comfortable margin, by more than 10 percentage points, and is expected to sail to a comfortable win this year for a position with relatively little fanfare.
So why pay for ads in a race he's almost certain to win? A campaign spokesperson did not respond to a question over Giannoulias’ plans for 2027.
Johnson's uncertain future
What we don't know:
Another notable person yet to announce a campaign is incumbent Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has continually declined to say whether he will run for reelection. Johnson was elected in 2023 in a runoff with Paul Vallas, the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools.
The sitting mayor was asked just this past week about his plans.
"I have not made any declaration or timeline around when I’ll make my intentions clear," he said at a news conference on Wednesday. "What my primary focus has been is ensuring that I carry out the hopes and dreams and aspirations of working people. So far, the city of Chicago is moving in the right direction. More people are visiting our city, more cranes in the air. We’ve created more jobs."
Johnson is sitting on a relatively modest $631,000 in his campaign bank and raised about $108,000 in the second quarter of the year. To be sure, it’s still fairly early on in the election cycle.
Key upcoming dates
What's next:
Still, the questions over potential candidacies have arisen recently because July 28 is the first day for candidates to circulate petitions for signatures, a necessary step to have their names put on the ballot.
Candidates won’t have to turn in those petitions until the week of Oct. 19.
Election Day for the first round of voting is Feb. 23. If no candidate earns a majority of the vote, then a runoff election will be held on April 6.
Top fundraisers
By the numbers:
Here are the top fundraisers among both announced and potential candidates for mayor of Chicago in 2027, according to the latest campaign filings with the Illinois State Board of Elections:
- Alexi Giannoulias: $21.8 million
- Kelly: $2 million
- Mendoza: $1.6 million
- Conway: $1.1 million
- Holberg: $1 million
- Johnson: $631,000
- Quigley: $376,000
Other candidates had less than $100,000 in cash on hand at the end of the quarter.