{"id":733139,"date":"2026-04-16T23:09:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T23:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/733139\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T23:09:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T23:09:33","slug":"alexi-giannoulias-dominates-chicago-mayoral-hopeful-fundraising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/733139\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexi Giannoulias dominates Chicago mayoral hopeful fundraising"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the crowded field of candidates committed to or flirting with a run for mayor of Chicago, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias again dominated fundraising<\/a> to start the year.<\/p>\n

Giannoulias raised more than $12 million in the first quarter of 2026, according to state campaign finance records, a sum far larger than the combined total for seven other likely candidates. The money, much of it from trade labor unions and some of Chicago\u2019s wealthiest residents, would give Giannoulias an instant advantage if he enters the race.<\/p>\n

He said in a statement that he was \u201chonored\u201d by those who \u201chave encouraged me to run for other offices, including mayor of Chicago.\u201d He has not yet declared he is running, and his political team did not answer questions about the fundraising.<\/p>\n

Five other candidates running or weighing campaigns as less progressive counterparts to Mayor Brandon Johnson raised more than $100,000, evidence that February 2027\u2019s election will likely again feature a crowded field.<\/p>\n

Johnson, poised to become the race\u2019s only progressive when he declares, raised more than $176,000. That\u2019s far below what former mayors Lori Lightfoot and Rahm Emanuel brought in during the same quarter of their first terms, but Johnson\u2019s political director, Christian Perry, said Johnson will have enough money to compete \u201cif and when\u201d he officially enters the race.<\/p>\n

\"MayorMayor Brandon Johnson greets Hilario Dominguez, of Chicago\u2019s Pilsen neighborhood, during a City Club of Chicago event on Feb. 11, 2026. (Josh Boland\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are doing what every good campaign should be doing for an incumbent, which is maintaining activity,\u201d Perry said. \u201cThis will be a campaign that\u2019s powered by working-class, blue-collar voters in the city of Chicago who want to see their interests represented on the fifth floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same point in their first terms, Lightfoot raised $737,010, while Emanuel raised $1.4 million. Lightfoot had $1.7 million available, while Emanuel had $7.4 million available, both far exceeding the $813,125 Johnson has on hand in his campaign fund.<\/p>\n

Downtown Ald. Bill Conway, a potential candidate, raised more than $100,000 during the quarter, while entrepreneur Joe Holberg brought in $285,171, $250,000 of which came from a loan he made to his campaign.<\/p>\n

Veteran lobbyist John Kelly raised $366,526, $250,000 of which came from law firms Kelley Ferraro LLC and The Ferraro Law Firm. State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who is also mulling a run, raised $125,767, including sums from several trade unions.<\/p>\n

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas raised only $5,000, while U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley brought in $212,550, including $7,300 each from former Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney and billionaire Steve Crown.<\/p>\n

And all of that money pales compared with the heaping, growing pile that Giannoulias is sitting on.<\/p>\n