Susana Mendoza, Illinois’s outgoing comptroller, formally announced her candidacy for Chicago mayor Wednesday, launching a campaign centered on what she called a “blizzard of incompetence” at City Hall.
Mendoza, 54, made the announcement via a YouTube video posted Wednesday morning, followed by a campaign event at Los Comales restaurant in Little Village, the Southwest Side neighborhood where she was born. She lives in Portage Park on the Northwest Side.
“Chicago doesn’t need bigger promises. It needs proven, competent leadership that delivers real progress people can actually feel,” she said in the video. “Too many people feel abandoned by City Hall. Families are being squeezed by rising rents, higher fees, and property taxes. Communities don’t feel safe. Small businesses are fighting to survive.”
At the launch event, Mendoza framed her candidacy around three issues: a financial crisis, a public safety crisis, and what she called “a crisis of confidence that things will get better.” She was introduced by her 13-year-old son, David.
Southwest Side Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd) and Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) attended the event. Tabares said Mendoza has a proven track record of solving big problems and is ready to lead the city.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, asked about the announcement at an unrelated press conference, said there is a mayoral race every four years and he plans to focus on his work as mayor. He did not say whether he will seek reelection.
Mendoza joins Congressman Mike Quigley and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas in the race. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is widely rumored to be considering a bid.
The first round of voting is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2027. If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff would be held April 6, 2027.
Mendoza served as Chicago City Clerk from 2011 to 2016 before being elected Illinois Comptroller in 2016. She became the first Latina elected to statewide office in Illinois when she won that election. She was reelected in 2018 and 2022, becoming the state’s top vote-getter in 2022. She announced last July she would not seek reelection as comptroller; her current term ends Jan. 11, 2027.
She ran for mayor in 2019, finishing fifth with approximately 9% of the vote.