Ald. Bill Conway Launches Reelection Bid, Ending Speculation About Mayoral Run

DOWNTOWN — Ald. Bill Conway (34th) is running for reelection, officially putting to bed rumors that he would join the crowded race for mayor.

The alderperson who represents parts of Downtown and the West Loop made the announcement to supporters via email Thursday afternoon, saying he spent the past several months reflecting on how he could best serve the city.

“After serious consideration, I’ve concluded that the best place for me to continue making a difference is right here in the 34th Ward, serving the residents who put their trust in me,” Conway said in the email.

For years, Conway, 48, has flirted with the idea of running for mayor, telling the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman in 2022 that some business and trade groups were urging him to do so.

Conway raised eyebrows earlier this month when campaign contributions showed that he loaned himself $500,000, fueling further speculation that he might run for a higher office. At the end of the second quarter, Conway reported about $1.1 million cash on hand, raising $5,800 in individual contributions outside of his loan.

Thursday’s announcement ultimately squashes the mayoral rumors for this city election cycle.

Conway pledged to continue to be an independent voice “supporting good ideas regardless of where they come from and speaking up when I believe we’re on the wrong path.”

A navy veteran and former state prosecutor, Conway was elected in 2023 to represent the newly redrawn 34th Ward — which included Downtown for the first time. He beat out commercial real estate broker Jim Ascot in that race.

Conway gained recognition after an unsuccessful bid to unseat Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx in the 2020 Democratic primary. That campaign was bankrolled in part by $10.5 million in contributions from his father, William Conway, a billionaire co-founder of The Carlyle Group.

In his run for alderperson that cycle, Conway led in both funding and endorsements, raising over $500,000 in campaign contributions.

Conway is known for butting heads with Mayor Brandon Johnson on city fiscal decisions and was part of the coalition of 30 aldermen that bypassed Johnson’s proposed 2026 budget to pass their own spending plan. In Thursday’s announcement, he emphasized how important it is to stabilize the city’s finances, leaning into his reputation as a fiscal conservative in City Hall.

The alderperson is also known for establishing a noise-sensitive zone around a Downtown woman’s clinic early in his tenure after anti-abortion protesters went viral for harassing patients and staff while loudly demonstrating outside the building.

The 34th Ward used to be located on the Far South Side and was long represented by Ald. Carrie Austin, who was indicted in 2021 on bribery charges but was found medically unfit to stand trial last year. The ward was redrawn in 2022 to encompass parts of The Loop, West Loop, Greektown and Fulton River District, accommodating a population boom in the area following the 2020 census.