Who is running for Cook County Assessor in the 2026 primary elections?

Amid rising property tax bills in Chicago, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi – whose office plays a key role in determining individual property owners' tax burdens – is running for a third term against a former employee trying to take his seat.

Residential property tax bills rose significantly last year on the city's South and West sides, largely because the county's tax burden is shifting away from commercial properties downtown, placing more of a burden on low-income homeowners.

In the North Lawndale neighborhood, property tax bills went up on average 98%. In the West Garfield Park neighborhood, the average increase was more than 130%

Kaegi's office has said one big factor in the rise in residential property tax bills was a major drop in assessed values for commercial properties downtown, shifting the tax burden to homeowners. The Assessor's office said the Cook County Board of Review reduced commercial assessments by big margins when property owners appealed their assessments, but residential assessments largely stayed intact.

However, Kaegi's opponent in the March 17 primary, Lyons Township Assessor Pat Hynes, who worked for the Cook County Assessor's Office for more than 20 years – including for more than two years under Kaegi – has criticized the way Kaegi runs his office.

What does the Cook County assessor do?

The assessor's office is responsible for appraising every piece of real estate in Cook County to determine its fair value, which in turn helps determine its share of the county's overall tax burden.

Unlike other taxes like income taxes or sales taxes, government bodies in Cook County set a predetermined amount of property taxes they will collect each year, and through a complicated formula, each piece of land in the county is taxed depending on the value set by the assessor's office.

The office reassesses one third of the county's properties every year, sometimes leading to significant changes in individual tax bills every three years.

Who are the Democrats running for Cook County Assessor?

Who is the incumbent, Fritz Kaegi?

Kaegi is running for his third term as assessor, having been first elected in 2018. Prior to that, he was a financial analyst and mutual fund portfolio manager.

Campaign website: fritzforassessor.com

Who is the challenger, Pat Hynes?

Hynes is the current Lyons Township Assessor, and previously worked as a field inspector for the Cook County Assessor's Office for 23 years, including two years under Kaegi. He's also a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Western Springs Fire Department.

Campaign website: assessorhynes.com

What do the candidates have to say about property tax assessments in Cook County?

Hynes has accused Kaegi of failing to use complete and accurate data to determine fair property values in Cook County. Specifically, he has said Kaegi's office has ignored building permit data that would provide information on new construction or renovations that would significantly change the value of hundreds of buildings. He also has claimed assessments under Kaegi have been volatile and unpredictable.

Kaegi, however, has said many municipal governments in Cook County have failed to share building permit data with his office in a timely manner, and said his office has hired additional staff and upgraded technology to catch more of those missing properties. He also has argued his assessments are based on the most up-to-date market data, and has blamed the Cook County Board of Review for significantly reducing assessments for commercial properties while largely keeping residential assessments the same.

Who else is running for Cook County Assessor?

There are no Republicans running for Cook County Assessor. Only one candidate is running on the Libertarian ballot, Nico Tsatsoulis, who says he has worked in "finance, retail and wholesale, and real estate."

Tsatsoulis also ran for the assessor's office in 2022, finishing a distant second to Kaegi in the general election. He also ran for Cook County Board of Review Commissioner in the 3rd District in 2024, finishing a distant second to incumbent Larry Rogers Jr.

Tsatsoulis wants to base property assessments on a building's sale price, adjusting that assessment by increasing its value at 2% per year each year after it is sold. If a building hasn't sold in the last 10 years, he wants to use third-party appraisals to determine assessed values. Those moves would require changing state law.  

Campaign website: nicotheassessor.com