John Kelly
Lobbyist and security company founder. Candidate for mayor of Chicago, on the ballot February 23, 2027.
Runs the lobbying firm All-Circo, whose clients include Bally's casino, and co-founded Sentinel Security; 53, from a four-generation Chicago family, married to the commentator Julie Kelly with two adult daughters. Filed on the first day; NBC has raised questions about a suburban home he calls a summer house.
Full platform, open to comments
Campaign website (johnkellyforchi.com)
Campaign money
- Committee: Citizens for John Kelly
- Raised: $1.5M
- Spent: $1.4M
- Cash on hand: $2.5M
- Raised July 1 to Sept. 30, 2026; spent Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2026. $1 million of the third quarter's money was loans from two companies, one of them his own security firm; the committee owes $1.25 million. Source
Money figures are each committee's quarterly reports to the Illinois State Board of Elections: spent is total expenditures from January 1 to September 30, 2026 (or since the committee formed), cash is funds available on September 30.
Support
Not listed in the ChicagoSpeaks poll, Sept. 2026 (Mansueto Institute / NORC). 0.0 points of support per $1 million spent.
What they would do
- Public safety first: more police officers, and a mayor whose first job is protecting people.
We need more police officers. We do not feel safe,
(CBS Chicago, Aug. 12, 2026) - Says crime is not a partisan issue and runs as a Democrat on it.
I am a Democrat, but crime isn't a partisan issue,
(Campaign launch, July 29, 2026) - Make the CTA safe enough that nobody pays $20 for a ride-share because they do not trust the train after dark.
Residents are afraid to ride the CTA, especially at night.
(Campaign launch, July 29, 2026) - Says his lobbying clients are what would make him a good mayor.
Having had those clients is what's going to make me a great mayor,
(Block Club Chicago, Oct. 26, 2026)
AI summary
Main points
Public safety: More police officers, police back on the CTA, and gunshot detection back, with the mayor's first duty defined as protecting people.
Taxes: Bring property taxes down or at least hold them steady, and ask of every spending decision whether it is a good deal for taxpayers.
Cuts: Points at the mayor's 154-person security detail as the kind of spending to trim first.
Next to the others
Only Kelly: Names the mayor's security detail as the first cut.
Police: Kelly, Mendoza, and Wilson would add officers; Quigley and Giannoulias would move officers out of desk jobs instead.
Safety first: Kelly, Wilson, and Carter-Walters lead with public safety; most others lead with the budget or housing.
On money
Would bring property taxes down or at least stabilize them, judge every expense by whether it is a good deal for taxpayers, and start the cuts with the mayor's security detail.
Is this a good deal for the taxpayers?
(Sun-Times, Aug. 20, 2026, his stated guiding question)you can cut 20 of those and buy five ambulances
(Sun-Times, Aug. 20, 2026, on the mayor's security detail)you are able to bring property taxes down, and at least, at the very least, stabilize them,
(CBS Chicago, Aug. 12, 2026)
Pizza
No position on record.
Also on the record
- His great-grandfather opened the Hayes Hotel in Woodlawn and his grandfather was a Chicago police officer. (newswire.com)
Compiled from public sources: