Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announces campaign for Mayor of Chicago

Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza on Wednesday officially threw her hat in the ring to become the next Mayor of Chicago.

Mendoza's announcement has been expected for months, after she announced last July that she would not seek a fourth term as Illinois State Comptroller.

It's not her first bid for mayor. She also ran in 2023, but she said this time is different.

Mendoza said she spent the last few months on a listening tour, talking to Chicagoans who she said asked her to run. She said that's why she decided now could be the time for a Mendoza administration on the 5th floor of City Hall.

On the heels of an official campaign video released online, Mendoza's son, David, delivered her introduction at a campaign kickoff event in the Little Village neighborhood, where she grew up.

"I've always been able to count on my mom, and so can all of you," David said.

Mendoza is not new to the Chicago political scene. She's been Illinois State Comptroller since 2016, and touted her experience balancing Illinois state government finances.

Before she was comptroller, she was the first woman elected Chicago City Clerk in 2011. She also served multiple terms in the Illinois House.

"I'm officially launching my campaign to be the next mayor of Chicago, your mayor of Chicago," she said. "I can do it, because I have."

In launching her campaign, she soundly criticized incumbent Mayor Brandon Johnson.

"Chicago has tossed mayors out of office for blizzards, corruption and incompetence. Right now, Chicago's experiencing a blizzard of incompetence. We deserve better," Mendoza said.

Mendoza also vowed to she promised to "trim the fat at City Hall," saying that means putting an end to what she calls unnecessary spending.

"I can't wait to get my hands into that budget, look over every line item," she said. "I mean, just look at the mayor's individual payroll with his staff; a bunch of 20-year-olds that are in charge of departments that they have an adversarial relationship with, even philosophically."

Asked what's changed since her failed 2019 run for mayor, when she came in 5th place in a crowded field, Mendoza said, "everything is different.

"I had a two-month window before. I had never run for that office. I did not plan to run for office. I was concerned about the city and that's why I jumped in. Nothing felt right about that election from day one, and it wasn't meant to be. This is a very different scenario. You were in this room today. You saw what I felt on that stage. This was Chicago busting at the seams in this room today," she said.

Mendoza also mentioned standing behind the Chicago Police Department, a "common sense" stance on crime, and curbing the use of electronic monitoring for repeat offenders.

Mendoza faces a growing field of competitors in the race for mayor. Congressman Mike Quigley and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas both have said they plan to run, but have yet to make formal campaign announcements. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias also is widely considered to be preparing a run for mayor.

While Johnson has yet to announce if he'll run for another term, he's widely expected to seek re-election.

The mayoral election is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2027. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote, the top two finishers in the election will face off in a runoff election on April 6, 2027.