A second Latino candidate — former Ald. George Cardenas — is laying the groundwork to run for mayor of Chicago in a move that could have a signficant impact on a crowded field.
Cardenas said Monday he’s forming an exploratory committee to run for mayor, even as he seeks re-election in November as a commissioner of the Cook County Board of Review.
Although he barely gathered enough signatures to survive a petition challenge for the office he now holds, Cardenas believes he has the unique mix of experience necessary to tackle Chicago’s vexing problems.
“I have business experience. I’m a management consultant. I’m an expert in procurement. I was in the Council for 20 years. I know the bodies. I know what worked… with Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel, what didn’t. I was floor leader for [then-Mayor Lori] Lightfoot. I’ve been there. I have the experience,” Cardenas, 61, told the Sun-Times.
Unlike Mayor Brandon Johnson, who struggled to pass his last two budgets and had to swallow the City Council’s choice of a new Zoning Committee chair, Cardenas said, “I have relationships. I’m a builder of relationships. That’s what I’ve been throughout my career.”
Cardenas’ entry into the already crowded 2027 race for mayor would divide a Latino vote that has comprised just 20% of the electorate in recent Chicago elections.
Latino voters determined to support one of their own would be forced to choose between Cardenas and his longtime political rival, retiring State Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
“I’m not running as a Hispanic. I’m running as a Chicagoan. I’m not running just because I can get the Hispanic vote. When I ran for the Board of Review, I got a sizeable part of the vote in the white community… and the white ethnic bloc,” Cardenas said. “Yes, I’m Mexican heritage. But I want to talk about numbers. I want to talk about what’s going on with the [spending] and the management of the city. That’s what I’m about.”
Veteran political operative Victor Reyes ran the Hispanic Democratic Organization at the center of the city hiring scandal under former Mayor Richard M. Daley. It was in that role that he helped Cardenas upset incumbent Ald. Ray Frias (12th) in 2003. Mendoza supported Frias against Cardenas in that race and has been a Cardenas adversary every since.
Reyes, who does not have a horse in the 2027 mayoral race, views Cardenas’ entry as a significant development because he’s won races for the Cook County Board of Review in a “humongous” district that has a “large white and suburban population.”
“He’s shown that he’s able to get votes from communities that he would need in order to be a viable candidate” for mayor, Reyes said.
“If this number stays in, you could get into the runoff with as low as 16 to 17 percent… You divide up the pie, then you need a smaller piece of the pie. It also means that Johnson needs a smaller piece of the pie.”
If Cardenas and Mendoza both join the mayoral race and stay in, the biggest beneficiary could be Johnson, Reyes said. The biggest loser could be Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, the frontrunner with $18.3 million in his campaign war chest, a heavy chunk of it from building trade unions.
“This hurts Giannoulias as much as it hurts Mendoza,” Reyes said of Cardenas.
“It’s gonna split the Latino vote, so it hurts Mendoza. But it also hurts Giannoulias because George has crossover viability. He’s more of a moderate. So is Susana. But they’re gonna eat into each other’s bases… Both will not get into a runoff. One of those two has the potential, and they both [can] create a problem for Giannoulias.”
Cardenas’ 20-year record in the Council is likely to be both an asset and a liability.
“If he makes it to the party and can work with the City Council, that’s a positive. But he has votes that he will have to defend” including a virtual avalanche of tax increases, as well as the widely despised parking meter deal, Reyes said.
Cardenas said Monday he is proud of his record and is prepared to defend it. He’s not intimidated by Giannoulias’ massive campaign war chest.
“I just watched the Kentucky Derby… Golden Tempo came out of nowhere. He was dead last,” Cardenas said.
“We’re all like Golden Tempo. We’re a little bit of that,” Cardenas added. “He comes from dynastic blood lines. All of that stuff doesn’t mean you win. Heart and passion has something to do with it.”
