I really don’t understand why Giannoulias wants to run for mayor. He’s young, and has one of, if not the best, political offices in the country.
The mayor’s office is not a stepping stone to anything. And in this moment in Chicago, the job is a disaster, with crisis after crisis and nothing in the way of good news in the short term.
A relatively young and supremely ambitious pol like Giannoulias should bide his time. Why trade a nice statewide gig that could easily be a platform for a future governor or senate race, where he would be a favorite, for the endless headaches of a dead-end nightmare of a job on the 5th floor?
Who was the last Chicago mayor elected to higher office? If he does what is necessary as mayor to save Chicago, he’ll end up with no political friends. The next mayor has nothing but bad choices and worse choices.
I’d run the other way as fast as possible. But that’s me.
Will he be wearing a shirt during this announcement? Will the shirt be wet? How many times will he put the shirtless photo and the wet t shirt photo in his promo videos? Are we placing bets on any of the above?
Mendoza had to at least wait until after the November election, but was hounded by questions about it throughout that race. Alexis has seemingly been spared the same level of criticism she faced so far…we’ll see how that looks when he’s running for two elections at the same time.
I’m with 47th Ward…I don’t see what he gets out of this besides headaches. Unless his cakewalk election four years ago has him convinced that he has the political capital to easily fix all of Chicago’s problems while coming out the other end unscathed.
==Mendoza had to at least wait until after the November election==
She didn’t have to do anything, she chose to and it was an awful decision politically. Not to mention the video leaked early and so spoiled the whole myth that she was waiting until after Nov to decide.
I partially agree with 47 (who would be Mayor right now when you basically have a negative percent chance for success). However, I think it is kind of ridiculous to say that someone who won their first statewide office literally 20 years ago should “bide his time.”
Maybe it’s as simple as it’s the best office he can run for at the moment that doesn’t require him to spend most of his time away from home and his family. Maybe at some point not everyone is running for president.
“I’ve approved loans to mobsters. But I didn’t know they were mobsters. Yes, I really was the senior loan officer of my dad’s bank. So I should know the loans, but I didn’t know the loans. Oh, and the bank failed. We good?” - Alexi
//snark// The city of Chicago deserves Alexi, he has done the work and so have the voters. Very much looking forward to watching this show from afar. //snark//
Alexi is mega ambitious, sometimes to excess. But ultimately, that drive is what is necessary to give Chicago what it needs right now.
The job is obviously very hard, for sure, but honestly if a halfway competent person comes next, that person will get a pretty tremendous honeymoon and be able to do a lot pretty quickly.
I anticipate a tough race but that Alexi will be sitting on the 5th floor come May 2027.
-I really don’t understand why Giannoulias wants to run for mayor.-
He’s a politician. He’s a politician with name recognition . He’s a politician who’s friends with Barack Obama. He’s a politician who can raise a lot of money. He’s allowed to change his mind on what he wants out of his career. The voters will decide.
All the folks saying “Why would he want to mayor?” just sound like people that can’t see past their own desire to not be mayor. It’s an amazing city. The job has always had headaches, but it also has a lot of upsides. I don’t know that I want him to be the mayor, but I completely understand why he would want to do it.
Like others, I imagine that Alexi would prefer to run for governor. But that’s also not the same as not wanting to run for Mayor. He does have options.
Also, just because a prior Mayor has never been elected Governor doesn’t mean that it could never happen.
I had assumed that much of the desire to get Alexi in the mayor’s race was to find someone that has the best shot of beating Johnson. So I am a bit surprised that he is committing to the race before Johnson has announced what his intentions are.
These comments illustrate a huge problem in politics.
Why run for an office where you can profoundly impact people’s lives positively and craft a real, historical legacy for yourself when it may ruin your hermetically sealed resume?
Why take on the challenges of actually governing when you can blah, blah, blah in Congress? Or lay in the cut in a lower level office?
I did not think Giannoulias would do it, but I wish him the best if he is serious about the job.
Honestly, I’m surprised he is not making his announcement at the Obama Center since he is probably going to reference him so many times. I mean he will definitely be acting like Obama the way he mimics his speech patterns and movements.
Alexi has a very young family and a wife who is Chicagoland royalty. Hell, Alexi himself is Chicagoland royalty even before his political days. They have no desire to go to Washington. I also doubt they have much desire to spend any more time in Springfield. The job of Chicago Mayor used to be one of the most powerful positions in the Country and could be again with the right person on the 5th floor, particularly if the City Council is mostly aligned behind him (a huge open question). I think the job of Mayor has far more impact on people’s day to day lives than virtually any other elected job in the country. There is plenty of snark from these commenters on his looks, the photo shoots, etc but what seems lost is he’s actually been a very successful reformer of the ILSOS office, which let’s be honest, was just a Jesse White patronage shop for 4 plus decades. Alexi has modernized the entire office and its operations. He seems to truly enjoy fixing things and making sure he is visible while doing so. I find that to be first order good politics, not detrimental. Its the whole reason he is miles ahead in name recognition without announcing anything yet. I agree with the comment above that were he to win, he’d enjoy a long honeymoon period and, assuming he can chalk up some wins in that period, there is a real path toward reconsolidating power on the 5th floor of City Hall. We have to be honest with ourselves that the City ran more efficiently when that was the case before the downfall of the machine (Burke and Madigan indictments) and a strong mayor is good for the City. The last bit is my opinion and I am sure there are plenty who’d disagree or would argue it led to corruption, fraud and abuse. Maybe true but those things haven’t exactly gone away with Madigan and Burke–quite the opposite actually.
Long story short is I think he sees a challenging job, a job that would test the most skilled pol, and Alexi wants to give it a go. I respect that.
- Remember the Alamo II - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 3:00 pm:
It seems like that these comments fail to consider the different reasons why someone would want to seek an elected office. Not everyone runs for office with the mantra of “what can this office do for me”.
Wait, so you mean the $15 million he raised so far this year wasn’t so he could beat his Republican opponent for Secretary of State (who reported $1,800 in the bank on the last quarterly)?
Alexi isn’t alone in running for re-election while circulating for Mayor. Mike Quigley, Maria Pappas, and George Cardenas are all doing the same thing.
The General Assembly had changed the election calendar since 2023. It used to be that petitions were filed for Mayor in late November, but now you need to file in late October, before the General Election
Interesting discussion. He goes up in my book actually the more I think about it. Clean up Chicago and you can go national. I hope he inspires the Gov and the state to step up, make hard choices and get us us on the rise again! I applaud him for taking this on.
- West Side the Best Side - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 5:01 pm:
He’s going to announce he’s going to stop referring to the SOS as the DMV.
@47thWard, I would have to disagree with you. Believing the job is the problem, is not keeping any Mayor or their team accountable for their actions or lack there of. No one person can ever do it alone. Those who build a team of Yes people who cannot govern, will go down in history as a Mayor with the lowest approval ratings. I do not see Alexi losing in 43,44 and 47 (maybe 46). Hate to say it, good looking, tall and charming people always poll higher. Guess we will see.
When he enters the race, he’s the only serious candidate. BJ has no path forward — that’s just political reality. The current roster of candidates is just not serious. He has a wide skill set, delivers on his visions, HAS A VISION, and is likable. Not everyone does this for the wrong reasons and he’d actually be able to turn the city around. He still has a political career ahead of him and wouldn’t be surprised if he was running for president in 2032.
A lot to unravel here but agree wholly w Evanston. Adding, his connections under the dome should make it easier to fix the numerous issues the city has. The current mayor couldn’t find the coffee stand on the second floor. Dealing with city hall will be a challenge but Alexi has the chops to get things done imo.
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:34 pm:
He is announcing his retirement and donating his campaign funds to charity. That would be special. /S
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:50 pm:
I really don’t understand why Giannoulias wants to run for mayor. He’s young, and has one of, if not the best, political offices in the country.
The mayor’s office is not a stepping stone to anything. And in this moment in Chicago, the job is a disaster, with crisis after crisis and nothing in the way of good news in the short term.
A relatively young and supremely ambitious pol like Giannoulias should bide his time. Why trade a nice statewide gig that could easily be a platform for a future governor or senate race, where he would be a favorite, for the endless headaches of a dead-end nightmare of a job on the 5th floor?
Who was the last Chicago mayor elected to higher office? If he does what is necessary as mayor to save Chicago, he’ll end up with no political friends. The next mayor has nothing but bad choices and worse choices.
I’d run the other way as fast as possible. But that’s me.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:50 pm:
===supremely ambitious pol like Giannoulias should bide his time===
Maybe you’ve just underestimated him.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:51 pm:
…or over-estimated, as the case may be. /s
- Reformed Blonde - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:52 pm:
Will he be wearing a shirt during this announcement? Will the shirt be wet? How many times will he put the shirtless photo and the wet t shirt photo in his promo videos? Are we placing bets on any of the above?
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:54 pm:
Mendoza had to at least wait until after the November election, but was hounded by questions about it throughout that race. Alexis has seemingly been spared the same level of criticism she faced so far…we’ll see how that looks when he’s running for two elections at the same time.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:55 pm:
===Mendoza had to at least wait until after the November election, but was hounded===
Because she got too clever and it cost her. He’s being upfront about it. We’ll see how that goes.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:56 pm:
I’m with 47th Ward…I don’t see what he gets out of this besides headaches. Unless his cakewalk election four years ago has him convinced that he has the political capital to easily fix all of Chicago’s problems while coming out the other end unscathed.
- Alton Sinkhole - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:57 pm:
==Mendoza had to at least wait until after the November election==
She didn’t have to do anything, she chose to and it was an awful decision politically. Not to mention the video leaked early and so spoiled the whole myth that she was waiting until after Nov to decide.
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:58 pm:
Not happy that Alexi’s face is popping up on YouTube music videos. Not interested in watching his commercial spots. Nails on a chalkboard.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 12:58 pm:
===easily fix all of Chicago’s problems===
C’mon.
Some of y’all appear to be upset because he’s apparently doing something you thought he wouldn’t ever do.
Maybe he no longer wants to be a US Senator? Or president?
Either way, what I’m seeing from some of you is pretty shallow analysis.
- Oklahoma - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:00 pm:
I partially agree with 47 (who would be Mayor right now when you basically have a negative percent chance for success). However, I think it is kind of ridiculous to say that someone who won their first statewide office literally 20 years ago should “bide his time.”
Maybe it’s as simple as it’s the best office he can run for at the moment that doesn’t require him to spend most of his time away from home and his family. Maybe at some point not everyone is running for president.
- DEE - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:00 pm:
He is challenging Mendoza to a swimsuit competition?/s
- Resign - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:03 pm:
I guess his strategy is that he needs to at least make it to a runoff, which is entirely doable.
- Save Ferris - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:21 pm:
“I’ve approved loans to mobsters. But I didn’t know they were mobsters. Yes, I really was the senior loan officer of my dad’s bank. So I should know the loans, but I didn’t know the loans. Oh, and the bank failed. We good?” - Alexi
- Occasionally Moderated - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:26 pm:
//snark// The city of Chicago deserves Alexi, he has done the work and so have the voters. Very much looking forward to watching this show from afar. //snark//
- Sawyer - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:27 pm:
Alexi is mega ambitious, sometimes to excess. But ultimately, that drive is what is necessary to give Chicago what it needs right now.
The job is obviously very hard, for sure, but honestly if a halfway competent person comes next, that person will get a pretty tremendous honeymoon and be able to do a lot pretty quickly.
I anticipate a tough race but that Alexi will be sitting on the 5th floor come May 2027.
- OneMan - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:33 pm:
He’s going to announce the SOS Inspector General is going to look into why The Jesse White Tumblers did not earn a golden buzzer on ATG.
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:36 pm:
This guy must really love Chicago.
- Hawkeye - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:42 pm:
On the other hand, the bar of expectations is now pretty low in Chicago. Might be the perfect time to run.
- Steve - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:51 pm:
-I really don’t understand why Giannoulias wants to run for mayor.-
He’s a politician. He’s a politician with name recognition . He’s a politician who’s friends with Barack Obama. He’s a politician who can raise a lot of money. He’s allowed to change his mind on what he wants out of his career. The voters will decide.
- Alton Sinkhole - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:54 pm:
Will be curious how/if Brandon team messages around the launch. Wonder what angles they’ll use to go after Alexi.
- Montrose - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 1:59 pm:
All the folks saying “Why would he want to mayor?” just sound like people that can’t see past their own desire to not be mayor. It’s an amazing city. The job has always had headaches, but it also has a lot of upsides. I don’t know that I want him to be the mayor, but I completely understand why he would want to do it.
- Juice - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:00 pm:
Like others, I imagine that Alexi would prefer to run for governor. But that’s also not the same as not wanting to run for Mayor. He does have options.
Also, just because a prior Mayor has never been elected Governor doesn’t mean that it could never happen.
I had assumed that much of the desire to get Alexi in the mayor’s race was to find someone that has the best shot of beating Johnson. So I am a bit surprised that he is committing to the race before Johnson has announced what his intentions are.
- Sawyer - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:01 pm:
@Alton Sinkhole
Not clear to me that BJ will run again. He’s raised less money than a lemonade stand.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:01 pm:
These comments illustrate a huge problem in politics.
Why run for an office where you can profoundly impact people’s lives positively and craft a real, historical legacy for yourself when it may ruin your hermetically sealed resume?
Why take on the challenges of actually governing when you can blah, blah, blah in Congress? Or lay in the cut in a lower level office?
I did not think Giannoulias would do it, but I wish him the best if he is serious about the job.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:03 pm:
===These comments illustrate a huge problem in politics.===
Please be more specific, even if I agree with your overall point that some of the above comments are just bizarre.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:06 pm:
===would prefer to run for governor===
That path is far less clear. If the governor goes to DC (prez or cabinet) Christian Mitchell ain’t gonna just lay down.
- Billy Bob - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:17 pm:
==He’s being upfront about it.==
He basically runs and hides when reporters bring it up.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:25 pm:
===runs and hides ===
Did you not read the post?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:29 pm:
… I mean, some of your comments aren’t very good, but you’ve reached a new low with that one, dude.
- BigLou - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:55 pm:
Honestly, I’m surprised he is not making his announcement at the Obama Center since he is probably going to reference him so many times. I mean he will definitely be acting like Obama the way he mimics his speech patterns and movements.
- Evanston Voter - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 2:58 pm:
Alexi has a very young family and a wife who is Chicagoland royalty. Hell, Alexi himself is Chicagoland royalty even before his political days. They have no desire to go to Washington. I also doubt they have much desire to spend any more time in Springfield. The job of Chicago Mayor used to be one of the most powerful positions in the Country and could be again with the right person on the 5th floor, particularly if the City Council is mostly aligned behind him (a huge open question). I think the job of Mayor has far more impact on people’s day to day lives than virtually any other elected job in the country. There is plenty of snark from these commenters on his looks, the photo shoots, etc but what seems lost is he’s actually been a very successful reformer of the ILSOS office, which let’s be honest, was just a Jesse White patronage shop for 4 plus decades. Alexi has modernized the entire office and its operations. He seems to truly enjoy fixing things and making sure he is visible while doing so. I find that to be first order good politics, not detrimental. Its the whole reason he is miles ahead in name recognition without announcing anything yet. I agree with the comment above that were he to win, he’d enjoy a long honeymoon period and, assuming he can chalk up some wins in that period, there is a real path toward reconsolidating power on the 5th floor of City Hall. We have to be honest with ourselves that the City ran more efficiently when that was the case before the downfall of the machine (Burke and Madigan indictments) and a strong mayor is good for the City. The last bit is my opinion and I am sure there are plenty who’d disagree or would argue it led to corruption, fraud and abuse. Maybe true but those things haven’t exactly gone away with Madigan and Burke–quite the opposite actually.
Long story short is I think he sees a challenging job, a job that would test the most skilled pol, and Alexi wants to give it a go. I respect that.
- Remember the Alamo II - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 3:00 pm:
It seems like that these comments fail to consider the different reasons why someone would want to seek an elected office. Not everyone runs for office with the mantra of “what can this office do for me”.
- Bears Fan - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 3:01 pm:
Wait, so you mean the $15 million he raised so far this year wasn’t so he could beat his Republican opponent for Secretary of State (who reported $1,800 in the bank on the last quarterly)?
- Bears Fan - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 3:16 pm:
Alexi isn’t alone in running for re-election while circulating for Mayor. Mike Quigley, Maria Pappas, and George Cardenas are all doing the same thing.
The General Assembly had changed the election calendar since 2023. It used to be that petitions were filed for Mayor in late November, but now you need to file in late October, before the General Election
- Steve - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 3:23 pm:
-before the downfall of the machine (Burke and Madigan indictments)-
No one can say Alexi was a tool of Mike Madigan.
- It's always Sunny in Illinois - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 3:27 pm:
Can’t wait to hear/see Vice Mayor Gate’s takedown of his run for mayor.
- Remember the Alamo II - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 3:54 pm:
=== Can’t wait to hear/see Vice Mayor Gate’s takedown of his run for mayor. ===
You are one of the few.
- 44 - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 4:23 pm:
Interesting discussion. He goes up in my book actually the more I think about it. Clean up Chicago and you can go national. I hope he inspires the Gov and the state to step up, make hard choices and get us us on the rise again! I applaud him for taking this on.
- West Side the Best Side - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 5:01 pm:
He’s going to announce he’s going to stop referring to the SOS as the DMV.
- Frida's Boss - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 6:15 pm:
He should run. It would be nice to have a mayor who’s competent at press conferences. It has been a while.
- Trinity - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 6:26 pm:
After Lori Lightfoot’s win, anything can happen.
@47thWard, I would have to disagree with you. Believing the job is the problem, is not keeping any Mayor or their team accountable for their actions or lack there of. No one person can ever do it alone. Those who build a team of Yes people who cannot govern, will go down in history as a Mayor with the lowest approval ratings. I do not see Alexi losing in 43,44 and 47 (maybe 46). Hate to say it, good looking, tall and charming people always poll higher. Guess we will see.
- Someone Somewhere - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 8:55 pm:
When he enters the race, he’s the only serious candidate. BJ has no path forward — that’s just political reality. The current roster of candidates is just not serious. He has a wide skill set, delivers on his visions, HAS A VISION, and is likable. Not everyone does this for the wrong reasons and he’d actually be able to turn the city around. He still has a political career ahead of him and wouldn’t be surprised if he was running for president in 2032.
- NorthSideNoMore - Wednesday, Jul 29, 26 @ 9:04 pm:
A lot to unravel here but agree wholly w Evanston. Adding, his connections under the dome should make it easier to fix the numerous issues the city has. The current mayor couldn’t find the coffee stand on the second floor. Dealing with city hall will be a challenge but Alexi has the chops to get things done imo.