Biss To Resign As Evanston Mayor In October Amid Congress Bid

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said he will resign Oct. 18, setting up a special election next spring to choose his successor as he continues his campaign for Congress.

"It is with gratitude, a feeling of bittersweetness, that I announce today that I will be resigning from the office of mayor as of Oct. 18, 2026," Biss said Tuesday at Evanston SPACE.

Biss said the purpose of the resignation date is to make sure the vacancy occurs early enough to trigger a special election next spring.

Petitions to become a candidate in that special election would be filed between Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, Biss said.

"My purpose in picking that date is to minimize the amount of time that the people of Evanston have a mayor who they didn't choose in an election," Biss said. "I think that principle of democracy serves us well. It served us well in the past, and I know it will serve us well in the future."

Biss won the Democratic primary for Illinois' 9th Congressional District earlier this year and is set to face Republican John Elleson in the November general election.

RELATED: Daniel Biss Wins Democratic Primary In 9th Congressional District, Will Face Pastor John Elleson

In the March election, Biss finished ahead of former journalist and political commentator Kat Abughazaleh and State Sen. Laura Fine. Fifteen Democrats and four Republicans sought the seat after longtime U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky decided not to seek reelection.

If Biss wins the congressional race, he said it would be "an honor" to serve as the district’s representative.

"And should I lose, I'm not going anywhere anyhow," Biss said. "You can count on me to be in the fight, working day in, day out with all of you to build a better Evanston, to build a better region, to build a better world in whatever way that I can to help."

Biss said he remains confident in Evanston's future, citing the city's "extraordinary mix of talent and dedication and creativity and willingness to take risks" to confront local and global challenges.

The resignation would create a mayoral vacancy less than two years into Biss' current term. The timing is expected to allow voters to select the next mayor in a special election rather than having an appointed successor serve for an extended period.