Susana Mendoza Launches Chicago Mayoral Campaign, Calls Brandon Johnson’s Leadership a ‘Blizzard of Incompetence’

Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza officially launched her campaign for Chicago mayor on Wednesday, calling incumbent Mayor Brandon Johnson's leadership a "blizzard of incompetence" and declaring that Chicagoans "deserve better."

Mendoza announced her candidacy in a YouTube video posted Wednesday morning, followed by a packed launch event at Los Camales restaurant in Little Village, the neighborhood where she was born.

"Chicago has tossed mayors out of office for blizzards, corruption and incompetence. Right now, Chicago is experiencing a blizzard of incompetence," Mendoza said. "We deserve better."

Three Crises, One Campaign

Mendoza framed her campaign around what she called three major crises facing the city.

"What became clear, though, is that Chicago is facing three major crises: a financial crisis, a public safety crisis and a crisis of confidence that things will get better," Mendoza said.

She signaled she would run a pro-business, tough-on-crime campaign. She said she will push to revoke at least some provisions of the SAFE-T Act, the state law that eliminated cash bail.

"People accused of murder, attempted murder, or predatory sexual assault should not be eligible for electronic monitoring," Mendoza said. "It defies all common sense. It's deadly dangerous, and it needs to stop."

Mendoza added that she will seek to fill police vacancies and lift police morale. She said she fully backs current Police Supt. Larry Snelling.

A Familiar Face With a Crowded Field

Mendoza, a Portage Park resident, has spent nearly three decades in Illinois politics. She served six terms as a Democratic state representative from 2001 to 2011. She was then elected twice as Chicago city clerk, including as the first woman to hold that position. She won a special election for state comptroller in 2016 and has served two terms.

This will be her second attempt at the mayor's office. She previously ran in the 2019 mayoral election and finished fifth with 9 percent of the vote. She did not advance to the runoff, when Lori Lightfoot defeated Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Mendoza's 2019 campaign was damaged by her connections to former Ald. Ed Burke, who had recently been federally indicted on corruption charges. During her announcement, she dismissed those ties as "old news."

"They were accused, convicted of their crimes as they should have been, but I had zero to do with that," Mendoza said in an interview with WGN this winter.

The 2027 mayoral race is shaping up to be crowded. U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas have already announced their runs. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has been widely rumored to be planning a run. His campaign fund reported more than $18.3 million on hand in a quarterly report filed in March.

Mendoza's campaign committee reported about $1.6 million. Johnson has just over $800,000.

Johnson's Response

Johnson has not announced whether he will run for reelection. When asked about Mendoza's announcement at a press conference Wednesday, he did not comment specifically on her candidacy.

"Here is the good thing about Chicago, there is a mayoral race every four years. So, there is no breaking news there," Johnson said.

He rattled off a list of accomplishments that sounded like a campaign speech. He pointed to a 60-year low in murders last year as well as declines in other crime categories.

"I don't have to give speeches because we can actually just show our work, and the work is clear," Johnson said.

The Road to February

The Chicago municipal election, including the mayoral and aldermanic elections, will be held Feb. 23. If no candidate reaches 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election between the top two will be held April 6.

Mendoza launched her campaign with the slogan "progress is greater than promises." She said she conducted a nearly year-long listening tour before making her announcement last July that she would not seek reelection as comptroller.

"This is the beauty of having run and lost. I think people who do their best work are people who have had challenges, have been punched in the face and decided to get back up," Mendoza said.

"Money is not going to determine the outcome of this race. Hard work, great determination and a connection with the people that I think I have way more than any other candidate," she added.