CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she will not run for reelection.

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She made the announcement at a press conference at the Los Comales Restaurant on 26th Street in Little Village Wednesday morning.

Although Mendoza will not seek another term as state comptroller, she said she is leaving the door open for the future.

At one point, Mendoza got emotional. She said that she is committed to finishing her term through January 2026.

For three terms, Mendoza said she’s been serving as the state’s chief financial officer.

Mendoza is no stranger to politics. She has also been a state representative and served as Chicago city clerk. She ran for mayor in 2019, and she says she is not ruling out running again. In that race, she came in fifth.

On Wednesday, she talked of Chicago’s dire financial situation, and said she’s never been someone to shy away from big challenges.

“No challenge is too big as far as I’m concerned,” she said. “I’ve always said that I want to serve where I can have the maximum amount of impact.”

After touting a litany of accomplishments in helping right the state’s financial challenges, Mendoza fired off a barrage of comments critical of Mayor Brandon Johnson, without naming him directly.

“The state of Illinois cannot be successful when the city of Chicago is failing,” Mendoza said. “I think that Chicago is in dire need of competency, someone who understands the needs of the city.”

She went on to say, “I think we’ve had two very unsuccessful mayors in a row. Chicagoans, let me just say that Chicagoans deserve better; they deserve a lot better.”

Mayor Johnson responded Wednesday afternoon.

“I don’t think much about her candidacy,” Johnson said. “In fact, she tried this already, and apparently Chicagoans did not think too much of her candidacy, either.”

Johnson touted the city’s drop in violent crime and affordable housing investments, and he disputed Mendoza’s assertion that the city’s economy is stagnating.

“Economic development continues to move through our city at a pace that is unparalleled, quite frankly,” Johnson said.

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“He’s been trying to shore up his African-American base. I think that’s very important to him,” ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington said. “He also is going to talk about his progressive ideas and social services and helping young people and keeping the city safe.”

Mendoza, if she decides to run, would be a formidable candidate, former Chicago Public Schools CEO and two-time mayoral candidate Paul Vallas said.

“I think, as we get closer to the primary time, the city and the schools and the CTA are going to be such a financial mess that, you know, people are going to be looking for candidates that are substantive,” Vallas said.

Mendoza also said Chicago needs a pro-growth mayor.

“The most important bird in Chicago, which is the crane, right? You can live in a city and gauge its financial health at the number of cranes that are in the sky. And right now, you have an unobstructed picture perfect view of the city,” she said.

The next mayoral election isn’t until 2027.

If Mendoza gets in the race, she would likely be part of a crowded field. And while recent financial reporting shows Mendoza has not raised much money this year, she said she’s not concerned about her ability to do that.

When asked if she was considering running for Congress Wednesday, she said “no.”

The next couple of weeks she says she will go on a “listening tour” to hear from constituents on what they need.