2027 Chicago mayoral candidates may begin circulating petitions Tuesday

Candidates for Chicago mayor may start circulating petitions on Tuesday for the election in February 2027.

Eight people have now formally announced campaigns — former Chicago Housing Authority board chairman Matt Brewer, former alderman and current Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois), Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, small business owner Liam Stanton, businessman Joe Holberg, lobbyist John Kelly, and cardiologist Lisa Nee.

But the race is still expected to grow.

One potential, but as-yet-undeclared contender who sits atop the fundraising and polling numbers is Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

Meanwhile, current Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has not officially declared that he is running again. He sidestepped questions about the election when CBS News Chicago's Marissa Perlman and Audrina Sinclair interviewed him live in studio last week.

"First of all, I'm really excited about what we've accomplished as a city, right? And there will be time for that," Johnson said. "Keep in mind, I did not make an announcement until October of 2022. I'm just saying right now, I'm focused on building safe and affordable communities, and we're going to count on the city of Chicago to help us continue to build that."

The mayoral election will be held Feb. 23, 2027. If no candidate captures a majority of votes — as no candidate in a mayoral election since 2011 — there will be a runoff election o April 6, 2027.