U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, who has toyed with running for Chicago mayor since as far back as 2011, did little to quell speculation about a 2027 bid while speaking at an Illinois REALTORS® event this week. 

When asked who he would support for mayor if he’s not running himself, Quigley demurred, saying he’s focused on Democrats winning control of Congress in 2026, which he dubbed “the most consequential midterm election in American history.” 

Despite the stakes of the national election, the nine-term U.S. congressman, whose political committee recently changed its official purpose “to elect Mike Quigley as the Mayor of the city of Chicago,” certainly spoke like a candidate for local office. 

“But like all of you, you cannot look at what’s happening to this city we treasure and not think we got to do something right for a lot of reasons,” Quigley said, according to a transcript of the event, Let’s Talk Real Estate with Members of Congress, which was held at Manny’s Deli and hosted by 2025 Illinois REALTORS® President Tommy Choi. 

During a Q&A, Quigley expressed his support for several national pieces of legislation that could impact Chicago real estate, including the Housing Supply and Innovation Frameworks Act, which would help state and local officials reform outdated zoning laws; the No Tax on Homes Act, which would adjust for inflation the 28-year-old capital gains threshold on home sales; and the Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act, which would provide tax incentives for the conversion of underutilized office space into housing. 

While Quigley remains committed to winning another term in Congress next year, his remarks were peppered with language one would expect from a mayoral candidate. 

“The mayor needs to think like an alderman. An alderman needs to think like a mayor,” he said, later adding that a mayor should take the time to review building-permit applications twice a month to make sure none languish without action for more than three months. 

While it remains to be seen whether Quigley will seek to lead City Hall in 2027, it should come as no surprise if he does, given the history of his district, which, as he noted, was previously held by “somebody named Rahm something. …Who knows where he went after that?”