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The next Chicago mayoral election will be held on Feb. 23, 2027. 10 candidates have formally announced campaigns so far, but others are expected to declare in the coming months.
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The list of hopefuls includes longtime insiders of Chicago politics as well as newcomers to the scene.
If no one gets more than 50% of the vote on Feb. 23, a runoff between the top two will take place April 6, 2027, with the inauguration set in May.
Here’s a look at who’s in, who hasn’t made a decision yet and who’s out.
Who’s in
Brandon Johnson
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced he will seek a second term, ending speculation over his plans by making a forceful argument that he deserves four more years in City Hall to try to entrench his progressive agenda.
Willie Wilson
Fourth time’s the charm? Businessman Willie Wilson is officially in for the 2027 mayoral race.
The South Side businessman famous for becoming one of the first Black McDonald’s franchise owners and for giving away millions of dollars worth of free gas said he will stake out conservative positions as he once again tries a long-shot run for City Hall.
“Chicago is a place that needs to have independent people and have people who are going to do right and have people that’s not going to be bought by special interests,” he said. “I’m a businessperson, and I don’t think, I know I can straighten this out.”
Alexi Giannoulias
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced that he will run for mayor of Chicago, ending over a year of speculation and making official his front-runner status in the already-crowded field.
Giannoulias entered the race buoyed by high name recognition, support from trade unions and a towering lead in campaign cash. He announced his campaign in a news release ahead of a rally at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134 headquarters in Bronzeville, where he is expected to be joined by a cadre of supporters from the City Council and the business community.
The announcement follows months of the will-he, won’t-he game over Giannoulias’ candidacy, speculation fueled by the massive $22 million stockpile in his campaign account. His entry sets up the biggest foil yet to incumbent Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has been attacking a top Giannoulias donor, hedge fund manager and close Rahm Emanuel ally Michael Sacks, for undermining his progressive agenda.
Matthew Brewer
Matthew Brewer served as the Chicago Housing Authority board’s chair until Johnson sought to demote him amid a power struggle over who would be the next CEO of the nation’s third-largest public housing agency. He remains a commissioner on the CHA board. Now, Brewer is coming for Johnson’s seat.
The businessman has highlighted his South Side roots and government experience in a dark-horse bid for his first elected office. With a résumé that spans from elite law firms to co-owning the famous Lincoln Park Wiener’s Circle hot dog stand, he has pitched a campaign focused on righting what he says is the broken governance at City Hall.
George Cardenas
Former Alderman George Cardenas is no stranger to City Hall. But he now wants to ditch his old City Council digs for the mayor’s office on the fifth floor.
The current Cook County Board of Review commissioner entered the race for mayor with a barrage of one-page policy proposals and a promise that he has “done the math” and is ready to make Chicago government more efficient. Once an ally to former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, he resigned from the City Council in 2022 to take his current office and argues the city does not need to cut costs to balance its budget.
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Mike Quigley
Illinois U.S. Rep Mike Quigley is making his first go for mayor after toying with running in 2023 and 2019.
The Democratic congressman first ascended to his office in 2009 when he replaced Rahm Emanuel, who stepped down to be President Barack Obama’s chief of staff. Quigley serves a district that covers North and Northwest Side neighborhoods as well as suburbs in west Cook County, and he was previously a Cook County commissioner from 1998 to 2009.
Quigley has criticized Johnson’s progressive economic proposals and pushed for City Hall to make cuts before asking more of its taxpayers.
Susana Mendoza
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is running again – and forgoing a reelection bid for her current office – in a campaign that would make her the city’s first Latina mayor. The state’s top elected fiscal officer, she has touted her readiness to tackle Chicago’s budget woes and been vocally opposed to Johnson and the CTU as she seeks to position herself as a bulwark against their progressivism.
Before being elected comptroller, Mendoza served as Chicago city clerk from 2011 to 2016 and before that served a decade in the Illinois General Assembly as a state representative. Her ties to disgraced former Ald. Ed Burke played a key role in derailing her 2019 campaign for mayor.
Joe Holberg
The first candidate to declare in the race, Holberg is another entrepreneur and a former math teacher. He is also running as a political outsider and said he has faced tough odds before, like living in his car while putting himself through the University of Michigan.
John Kelly
Kelly is a veteran lobbyist whose client list has included former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and other powerful names. He currently represents Bally’s, the Rhode Island-based company that landed the city’s contract for its first and only casino under the Lightfoot administration.
Lisa Nee
Nee is a cardiologist and medical whistleblower who is also running as a political outsider.
After facing obstructions in advocating for patients struggling with getting the right procedures done at Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital, Nee made an anonymous report to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general, she said. Nee faced retaliation but testified at a 2015 U.S. Senate hearing about the hospital’s practices, which she said helped the eventual passage of a federal law that protects VA whistleblowers.
To be decided
Maria Pappas
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has said she will run, but may be a ways off from officially declaring her candidacy as she campaigns to hold on to her current seat. She has said she does not want to give up a popular radio segment that helps callers with property tax trouble.
If she does get in the race, Pappas would be poised to confront competitors from the get-go. The quirky politician, who has held elected office locally since 1998, is known for her baton twirling routines, the annual calendar she has printed with her photo accompanying each month and her blunt language.
Recent troubles with a technology contractor over a long-delayed multimillion-dollar overhaul of the county’s property tax administration system might color voters’ opinion of her management expertise and temperament, though Pappas has been adamant she’s standing up to the company in an attempt to protect taxpayers.
Who’s out
Liam Stanton
A tech entrepreneur who has led multiple startups, Liam Stanton announced he was running for mayor, proposing term limits and more small business support during his mayoral campaign. But the political newcomer dropped out of the race in early August and said he was endorsing Giannoulias’ candidacy.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 12:21 PM.