Let’s hit the gas, Chicago.
I’m running for mayor to build a Chicago that’s growing, affordable, and safe — a city where every Chicagoan, in every neighborhood, can put down roots and build a good life.
Join us — let’s hit the gas:
Pushing for common-sense solutions to get Chicago going.
Meet Liam
I love this city. I’m a lifelong Chicagoan, a dad of two young kids, a small business owner, and the youngest of eight siblings raised in Rogers Park. Chicago has always been a place where hard work and community could lead to a good life — and that’s the promise I want to see work for every Chicagoan.
I’ve spent my career building and fixing things — bringing people together to get things done.
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My family’s story is a lot like Chicago’s. My grandparents were immigrants from Ireland. They came here with almost nothing, knowing Chicago was a place where a better life was possible. My grandfather cleaned streetcars for the Chicago Surface Lines and raised nine kids in a two-bedroom apartment on Devon Avenue. It wasn’t glamorous, but with hard work, community and lots of laughter, the dream was theirs.
My dad followed that same path. He served as a Chicago police officer and worked side jobs to support eight kids. We grew up in Rogers Park with neighbors who looked out for one another. Our parents taught us that when people work hard and come together to get things done, good things can happen. Chicago worked for us because effort led somewhere.
I’m proud to be raising my own family here. I worked full time to support them while earning my MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management on nights and weekends. I’ve spent my career building and fixing things — from growing small businesses that created jobs in the city, to leading a large manufacturing company with thousands of employees worldwide, turning it from stagnation to growth. I’ve also started small businesses of my own — including one that helped teachers, artists, and other local workers earn extra income by connecting them with Chicago small businesses that valued their talents. And another that uses technology to help small businesses level the playing field with their biggest competitors.
Along the way, I founded the Chicago Style Project to push for bold, practical solutions to some of Chicago’s biggest challenges — supporting small business growth, strengthening neighborhoods, and pushing for a city government that works better for the people it serves.
Most weekends, you’ll find me on the sideline coaching my son’s basketball team.
At the end of the day, this is what drives me: I want my kids, and every Chicagoan, to have the chance to put down roots and build a good life in this city that we all love.
Show Your Support
We are powered by people who love Chicago.
Why I’m Running
Chicagoans love their city. We are the proudest city in the world - and it gives us a strong foundation to build on. But right now, too many Chicagoans feel like they’re doing everything right and still falling behind. Costs are up. Safety feels uneven. City finances are stretched. Too often, City Hall struggles to deliver the basics — and growth has slowed to a crawl. When a city stops growing, everything gets harder: taxes go up, opportunity shrinks, and families start to leave.
This election gives us a clear choice. We can keep managing decline, drifting into a cycle where stagnation leads to higher taxes, fewer opportunities, and more families leaving — or we can hit the gas and get Chicago moving forward again.
Chicago doesn’t need another career politician who knows how to manage decline or explain why change is hard. It’s time for a new generation of leadership that knows how to build, adapt, and bring people together to get things done — because that’s when Chicago is at its best.
I’m running to build a Chicago that’s growing, affordable, and safe — a city where every Chicagoan, in every neighborhood, can put down roots and build a good life.
“Hit the Gas” Platform
Growing
Chicago’s sub 2% growth is costing us jobs, investment, and people as other cities pull ahead. Reversing that means putting underused areas back to work, supporting small businesses, and creating the conditions for sustained, neighborhood-level growth.
Affordable
Chicago cannot thrive if families are forced out. We will focus on lowering the cost of living, expanding family-sized housing like townhouses, and removing the barriers that make it harder for people to raise children and build a future in the city.
Safe
Use modern technology and data to guide deployment, move more officers out of desk duty and back into the field, and build clear, sustained plans for community partnership. Fewer violent crimes and safety people can count on in every neighborhood.
Fueling Chicago’s Growth
Concrete steps to build a city that’s Growing, Affordable, and Safe.
Reliable Public Transit
Set clear reliability and safety standards for public transit—and hold leadership accountable when service doesn’t show up.
150,000 Small Businesses
Make it easier to start, run, and grow a small business in Chicago by cutting red tape and fixing broken systems.
Family-Sized Housing
Build more townhomes, two-flats, and missing-middle housing so families can stay in the city.
Fix the Parking Meter Deal
Pursue every responsible option to unwind or reform the deal in the public interest.
Universal Childcare
Childcare shouldn’t be a luxury. Access will help parents work and kids thrive.
Implement a City Charter
Set clear rules for governance, align power and accountability across city government, and give residents confidence that decisions are made transparently and responsibly.
A New Coalition
We are building a new coalition of Chicagoans - young and old, longtime residents and newcomers, from every neighborhood and background - who believe Chicago should be a place where people can put down roots, and build a good life. We can do this together.
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In the News
Liam Stanton announces run for Chicago mayor
Political newcomer Liam Stanton officially announced his run for mayor at the Irish American Heritage Center.
First-time candidate Liam Stanton launches bid for Chicago mayor
Liam Stanton, 38, a first-time political candidate, has announced his bid for mayor of Chicago.
Small business owner Liam Stanton announces run for Chicago mayor
Liam Stanton, 38, announced he is running for Chicago mayor. He will kick off his campaign Sunday at the Irish American Heritage Center.
Liam Stanton: Chicago needs transit we can count on
Affordable cities run on reliable transit. Rebuilding trust in the CTA means focusing on consistent service, safety, and real accountability — so working families aren’t stuck paying for dysfunction.
Liam Stanton: Good. Better. Best. A Chicago way to keep the Bears Home
Soldier Field has real constraints. The Bears' checklist isn't unreasonable. But northwest Indiana isn't a plan.
Liam Stanton eyes Mayoral run
SCOOP: Liam Stanton, a 38-year-old entrepreneur from Rogers Park, is gearing up to run for mayor.
Liam Stanton: Chicago government should choose planning over panic
Chicagoans plan their lives with care. Families budget months ahead. People in this city plan early. City government should meet that same standard.
Opinion: What Chicago can learn from Dan Lurie's San Francisco playbook
As ICE agents roam Chicago’s streets and City Hall scrambles to close a billion-dollar budget gap, another mayor just showed what real leadership looks like: pragmatic, steady and rooted in results.
Liam Stanton: Universal childcare is how Chicago makes affordability real
Child care is the cost quietly pushing working families out of Chicago - and universal child care is how affordability becomes real.
Liam Stanton: Fix the budget. Don’t break the city.
Chicago keeps layering on new costs and making it harder to create jobs in the very neighborhoods that need them most.
Liam Stanton: Chicago should give pensioners the option for a buyout
A voluntary lump-sum pension buyout program would give retirees flexibility and certainty and immediately reduce long-term liabilities.
Liam Stanton: Establish a City Charter
Chicago’s budget fights aren’t about one mayor or one year — they’re a sign the city needs clearer rules, long-term planning, and a modern city charter.
Chicago mayor is losing grip on city as rivals build war chest
As Chicago faces mounting fiscal pressure, early conversations are beginning about who could step forward in the 2027 mayor’s race, including Liam Stanton.