As he prepares to run for mayor, Alexi Giannoulias hoping to keep the Bears in Chicago

Five months until the 2027 mayoral election in Chicago, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is leading in early polling, and has a commanding lead in fundraising.

Giannoulias, who is also currently running for re-election to his state office, sat down with CBS News Chicago political reporter Chris Tye, and covered a lot of ground, including where he comes down on the concern in the Bridgeport neighborhood that Amtrak is pushing ahead with a controversial maintenance facility. 

Giannoulias said he supports residents of Bridgeport getting clear answers to their questions, but unlike three other would-be mayoral candidates who stood with Bridgeport residents this week, he is not definitively saying Amtrak should halt plans.

While he takes shots at Mayor Brandon Johnson on a number of things – from the mayor's relationship with Springfield and what he calls a revolving door of staff changes – the two made the same pitch on one big topic – keeping the Bears in Chicago as they weigh a potential move to either Arlington Heights or Hammond, Indiana.

"I think we need to fight for Chicago. To me, it's not about Indiana or Arlington Heights. That's a decision the Chicago Bears have to make," GIannoulias said. "People are already screaming and freaking out, rightfully so, about their property tax bills, and you have a franchise that's worth $10 billion continue to ask for handouts and giveaways. I think there's a smarter process. I think a strong mayor would have been a little more in front of this process to make sure that they stayed in Chicago. … I am not giving up on them staying in Chicago."

Notably, Johnson repeatedly has said the best move for the Bears is to stay in Chicago.

Johnson, who is expected to formally launch his re-election campaign on Sunday, leans heavily into dropping crime numbers in Chicago.

The mayor has noted Chicago had the fewest homicides in 60 years in 2025, a trend that has continued this summer.

However, Giannoulias argued falling crime is a nationwide trend.

"I believe, strongly based on the data we've seen, that the national crime figures have gone down. It's more of a macro phenomenon. I think the [community violence intervention] groups deserve a tremendous amount of credit," he said. "I will tell you, and this again is data, that Chicago's crime figures have not gone down as much as other major cities. I think we can do a lot more on public safety. People do not feel safe, and perception becomes reality."

Expect to hear more on this in the weeks and months ahead as the mayoral race ramps up.

Giannoulias doesn't like being in the lead right now.

He said closing schools that are under-occupied might need to be on the table for the Chicago Public Schools

You can see his full interview on Sunday on "The Angle" at 7:30 a.m. on CBS News Chicago.