(The Center Square) – Two current state office holders are now running to become mayor of Chicago in 2027.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched campaign ads over the weekend for the mayoral election Feb. 23.
“You deserve a city hall that can demand real change. For everyone that loves Chicago, it’s time to demand better,” Giannoulias said.
Giannoulias announced his campaign for the fifth-floor office at City Hall while continuing to seek reelection Nov. 3 as the Democratic nominee for secretary of state.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced her plans to run for Chicago mayor in June, months after she said she would not seek reelection to statewide office.
Mendoza said it is not “super ethical” for Giannoulias to ask almost 13 million people to support him for secretary of state when he is seeking another office.
“I'm all-in for Chicago. Alexi is clearly all-in for Alexi, and that's why he's hedging his bets and he's running for both offices. Chicago deserves a mayor who's all-in,” Mendoza told The Center Square.
Mendoza said, although Giannoulias asked to be judged on his record as secretary of state, he should also be judged on his time as state treasurer.
“He was responsible for overseeing the Bright Start College Savings Plan, where he lost over $100 million in college kids’ funds,” Mendoza said.
The comptroller also recalled Giannoulias’ time at Broadway Bank, which was seized by federal authorities in 2010 after allegations that the bank was linked to organized crime figures.
Republican secretary of state candidate Diane Harris said Giannoulias is hollowing out his politicized government staff to populate his campaign office.
“It becomes electioneering, that’s what it becomes, because if you’re campaigning on that particular company time, and I say company but you know, governmental time, it could very well be an ethics issue,” Harris told The Center Square.
Harris said Giannoulias should withdraw from the statewide election in November if he’s planning to become mayor next year.
“If he is elected there, he would only serve a few months as secretary of state, and I'm sure that would not be what the voters would be voting him for,” Harris told The Center Square.
If Giannoulias is elected mayor, the Illinois governor would be tasked with appointing his successor as secretary of state.
When asked by The Center Square last month about state Rep. Jeff Keicher’s suggestion on the House floor that Giannoulias championed auto insurance regulations for political reasons, the secretary of state said he was offended by the Sycamore Republican’s comment.
