The incumbent secretary of state, a native Chicagoan, said he is running to help a city he loves by restoring faith in city government by bringing back a competent approach to leadership. 

“I am maniacally bullish about Chicago’s future,” Giannoulias said in his first ad. “But we need to demand better from City Hall.” 

He said he wants to create a better economy and business environment by cutting red tape and make life more affordable for Chicagoans with increased affordable housing supply, a higher minimum wage and universal pre-K. He told the Chicago Sun-Times he wants to improve public safety by hiring hundreds of additional police officers and bringing back the discontinued ShotSpotter gunshot detection system. He also said he’d support a tax on income over $1 million, a progressive proposal also backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has yet to announce a run for reelection.

In an exclusive interview with NBC 5, Giannoulias said when he thinks about challenges facing the city, “we need someone who will unite this city together. These problems are very challenging, and the only way to fix them is with a coalition of everyone from [the] business community, organized labor, City Council [and] Springfield.”

Giannoulias, a Democrat, served as Illinois state treasurer from 2007-11 and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2010, losing to Republican Mark Kirk in the general election. He is currently running for a second term this fall as secretary of state after being elected in 2022. 

Giannoulias is asking voters to look at his record as secretary when evaluating his ability to serve as mayor. In his campaign announcement, he pointed to reduced wait times at the DMV, digitized services and his efforts to fight the GOP and Trump administration, including spearheading laws to outlaw book bans and prevent out-of-state agencies from accessing automated license plate reader data to track patients traveling to Illinois for reproductive healthcare. 

“The hardworking people of Chicago deserve a government that works just as hard as they do,” Giannoulias said in a news release. “Chicagoans don’t expect perfection. But they do expect leadership that listens, that rolls up its sleeves to work hard and that loves this city as much as they do. Leadership that has solved problems and will continue to solve problems.” 

Giannoulias has a trove of funds at his disposal. His candidate committee, which up until now has been officially used for his secretary of state campaign, raked in $3.6 million in the second quarter of the year. He ended the quarter with $21.8 million in cash on hand. 

Since July 1, Giannoulias’ campaign has reported at least $250,000 in additional funds in the form of large contributions of at least $1,000. 

Nomination petition circulation for the Chicago mayor’s race began last Tuesday, and candidates will file for office this October. The election is Feb. 23, 2027.