Alexi Giannoulias

In an interview with Fran Spielman, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias explains why he is running simultaneously for re-election and for mayor of Chicago, arguing that money alone doesn’t win elections and that voters will judge records and vision. He touts modernizing the Secretary of State’s office by moving services online and eliminating DMV wait times, and criticizes Mayor Brandon Johnson for leadership turnover, credit downgrades, weak coalition-building with City Council and Springfield, and a failed property tax push. Giannoulias outlines priorities including improving public safety, adding 1,000 officers by 2030, bringing back ShotSpotter, streamlining city bureaucracy, centralizing procurement to save money, and pursuing revenue options such as a Springfield-enabled millionaires tax while opposing a corporate head tax.