U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley plans to run for mayor of Chicago in 2027

Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley on Tuesday said he plans to run for mayor of Chicago in 2027.

Quigley, who is currently running for re-election, confirmed his intentions in an interview with John Williams on WGN Radio 720.

"I am, but we'll have a formal announcement to talk about that after the March primary," Quigley said when asked if he was planning to run for mayor next year.

Quigley is currently serving his ninth term in Congress in the 5th District in Illinois, which includes parts of the North Side of Chicago, as well as multiple northern and northwestern suburbs. He is facing four challengers in the upcoming Democratic primary.

"I've filed again for re-election, I've got another year to serve. The primary for mayor is in February of 2027. Look, what I'm trying to do is show proper respect for the March 17th primary," Quigley told Williams. "I don't want the voters to get too far ahead of ourselves. I want to focus on the issues of the day. You asked me a question and I wanted to answer honestly. Im not equivocating, I'm just prioritizing the here and now and that is the issues of the day and the primary, March of just next year."

Quigley sits on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Before he was first elected to Congress in 2008, Quigley served for more than 20 years as a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in the board's 10th District on the North Side of Chicago.

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas also has said she plans to run for mayor in 2027. She's also running for re-election this year, and has said she plans to "win another term as Cook County Treasurer" and then make an official announcement regarding her mayoral run. 

Mayor Brandon Johnson has not yet formally announced plans to run for re-election in 2027.

In addition to Quigley and Pappas, other potential challengers who have yet to announce plans for a mayoral bid in 2027 include Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, whom Johnson defeated in the 2023 mayoral runoff election.

Candidates will not be able to begin circulating petitions to get on the ballot for mayor of Chicago until this summer.