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Brendan Reilly

DemocraticCook County Board President
↗ Campaign site

Raised

$609,000

THE JACKET

Who funds Brendan Reilly?

$609,000

Source: https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2026/02/17/chicago-real-estate-kingpins-bankroll-reillys-challenge-to-preckwinkle-in-cook-county-board-president-primary/

individual$101,000(100%)
individual
DonorCategoryAmountStatus
Alexander Pissios (former Cinespace owner)individual$50,000confirmed
Neil Bluhm (billionaire developer)individual$17,000confirmed
Andrew Bluhm (son of Neil Bluhm)individual$17,000confirmed
Meredith Bluhm (daughter of Neil Bluhm)individual$17,000confirmed
Showing 4 donors (17% of total raised). See source filing for full breakdown.

Red Flags

🚩donor-networkReal Estate Developer Donor Network — Loop & River North Kingpins

Reilly's campaign is bankrolled predominantly by the Chicago real estate development community — the same industry that stands to benefit from Cook County property tax, zoning, and land-use policy. Donors include Neil Bluhm family ($51K combined), Alexander Pissios ($50K), Riverside Investment, Waterton, Equity Commonwealth, and DRW. As 42nd Ward alderman, Reilly oversees the Loop and River North — the heart of Chicago commercial real estate. The overlap between his donor class and regulated industry raises pay-to-play concerns.

Source: → https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2026/02/17/chicago-real-estate-kingpins-bankroll-reillys-challenge-to-preckwinkle-in-cook-county-board-president-primary/

Bio

Brendan Reilly (born December 26, 1971) is the Chicago 42nd Ward Alderman, representing the Loop, River North, and Streeterville — home to 90,000 residents and nearly 60% of Chicago's economic activity. He has held the seat since 2007, when he defeated 36-year incumbent Burton Natarus. He served as Vice Mayor of Chicago from 2015–2019, elected to that position by the City Council. Reilly is challenging incumbent Toni Preckwinkle in the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary for Cook County Board President. His campaign themes are fiscal accountability, return-on-investment governance, transparency, and anti-corruption. He successfully led the charge to defeat Mayor Brandon Johnson's $300M property tax increase in 2024. The Chicago Tribune editorial board endorsed Reilly over Preckwinkle on January 31, 2026. He is widely viewed as the business and real estate community's candidate, with major real estate developers and Loop business owners forming his donor base. Preckwinkle has broad labor union support (Chicago Federation of Labor, Operating Engineers) and a $150K donation from Governor Pritzker.

Prior office: Chicago 42nd Ward Alderman (2007–present); Vice Mayor of Chicago (2015–2019)

Key Votes

  • NO — Led oppositionMayor Johnson $300M Property Tax Increase (2024)

    Reilly led the successful City Council charge to defeat Mayor Brandon Johnson's $300M property tax increase proposal in 2024, protecting residents and his real estate donor base from a major tax hike.