Just 17 days after Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss took an oath of office to serve his second term, his announcement that he is running for Congress drew ire from his opponents and approval from some on the City Council.
Biss announced Thursday morning that he is running for Illinois’ 9th Congressional district, 10 days after U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky announced she would be retiring at the end of her term. Election day is not until November 2026, but some leaders expect that the solidly blue district’s race could be decided in the Democratic primary in March 2026.
Leaders in Evanston said the city and its surrounding area could benefit from having a local represent them in the U.S. Congress, but some expressed concern that Biss might prioritize his campaign over his role as mayor for the next year and a half.
In the event Biss gets elected, an acting mayor would be appointed by the City Council to fill the vacancy, said 4th Ward City Councilmember Jonathan Nieuwsma.
Newly elected 8th Ward City Councilmember Matt Rodgers said he was split on whether or not Biss running for Congress is a good move for the city and its residents.
“I think it’s very beneficial anytime you have someone who’s local in a national office and they understand Evanston, they fully get Evanston,” Rodgers said, adding that it can boost the amount of federal grants the city could receive from the federal government, particularly at a time when the feds are looking to make cuts.
However, Evanston will head into its budget season again in the fall, Rodgers said, and having a distracted mayor could complicate things if Biss is preoccupied with his Congressional race, he said.
“He’s announcing today because he’s going to start running (for Congress) over the summer,” Rodgers said. “The summer is when you’re out there, meeting people, engaging people, because the election really is in March, because that’s the (Democratic) primary.”
“I just don’t want him to be distracted, and I’m hoping that he’s weighed all that in his mind when he’s made this decision and has figured out how he does both,” Rodgers said.
During Biss’ campaign for re-election, Biss’ critics were skeptical that the office of mayor would be enough for Biss, a former Illinois Senator and Representative who ran for governor in 2018.
“A number of people had accused the mayor of using Evanston as a stepping stone in a political career,” said former Evanston mayoral candidate Jeff Boarini, who lost to Biss in the April 1 election.
“He (Biss) studiously avoided answering the question as to whether or not he was going to run (for higher office), and finally saying that he intended to stay, and he expected to stay for his four year term,” Boarini said.
“His focus for the next 18 months is going to be on getting elected, not on Evanston. And I think that’s grossly unfair to residents to have that kind of split focus,” Boarini said.
Fourth Ward City Councilmember Jonathan Nieuwsma said Biss’ run for Congress wouldn’t likely change day-to-day operations for the city or council, citing Biss’ role in a council-manager government where the City Council makes decisions on how to run the city and the city manager executes those decisions.
“Evanston is going to be fine. We have nine council members who vote on things and the city manager, who reports to the council as a collective, so the city is going to be fine. I have no doubt about that,” Nieuwsma said.
Nieuwsma, whose views have aligned with Biss when it comes to making downtown Evanston more residential and dense, said it wasn’t unexpected that Biss will be running for Schakowsky’s seat given her reputation as a progressive liberal.
Nieuwsma also said Biss’ role in implementing Envision Evanston 2045 and balancing the budget won’t be the be all and end all for the City Council to do its work.
“The mayor is an important part of that conversation, for sure, but more important than any one individual is the community at large,” he said.
