Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias officially joined the 2027 Chicago mayoral race on Sunday in an exclusive interview with NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern. He announced his candidacy while criticizing Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration for failing to “meet the moment,” citing high staff turnover, credit-rating problems, and difficulty advancing an agenda through City Council and Springfield. Giannoulias positioned himself as a coalition-builder who can work across labor, business, and neighborhood lines, and outlined priorities that include hiring more police officers, restoring ShotSpotter, and handling under-enrolled schools through community-driven processes rather than abrupt top-down closures.
In the interview, Giannoulias was clear in his opposition to President Trump, calling him dangerous to the world order and pointing to his own record of resisting Trump administration policies, including limits on ICE access to Illinois driver data. At the same time, he said he would still meet with Trump, framing it as a practical necessity: a mayor has to be willing to engage when the city’s interests — federal funding, public safety resources, or other issues affecting neighborhoods like the 9th Ward — are on the line.
