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Fritz Kaegi cleaned up decades of pay-to-play corruption at the Assessor’s office and fought for more property tax relief for homeowners. Now he’s running for re-election to bring down costs for middle-class families by making commercial properties pay their fair share.

Latest Campaign Developments

Check out the latest news from Team Fritz. For media inquiries contact: info@fritzforassessor.com

NEWS ARTICLE

Loop North News: The Assessor’s War: Kaegi vs. The Machine

With a glowing endorsement by the Chicago Tribune, Fritz Kaegi is leaning on his record of data-driven reform as he fights a primary challenge from Patrick Hynes, a candidate Kaegi claims is ‘bankrolled’ by tax appeal attorneys.

Feb
19
2026
NEWS ARTICLE

A City that Works’ Guide to the 2026 March Primaries

Recommendations for competent governance and sensible ideas

Feb
19
2026
NEWS ARTICLE

Why are Cook County property taxes a mess? Assessor candidates weigh in.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and the top challenger to unseat him in next month's primary election agree the local property tax system is broken. But they are pointing fingers in very different directions about who is to blame

Feb
18
2026
NEWS ARTICLE

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Fritz Kaegi for Cook County assessor

We’ve always found Kaegi to be a fundamentally fair and decent man who has genuinely managed to avoid conflicts of interest. He’s an intellectual who thinks deeply about the issues with this system, has an excellent command of his data and its implications, and who has cleaned up the office following the sordid Berrios years.

Kaegi is endorsed for Cook County assessor.

Feb
7
2026
NEWS ARTICLE

Sun Times: What to know about the Democratic primary race for Cook County assessor

Fritz Kaegi is running for this third term as assessor against challenger Pat Hynes — who the Democratic Party endorsed — the Lyons Township assessor who spent 23 years working in the Cook County assessor’s office as a residential field inspector.

Feb
6
2026
NEWS ARTICLE

Girl, I Guess: Progressive Voter Guide Endorses Fritz Kaegi

"This endorsement ultimately comes down to trust and trajectory. Fritz Kaegi broke a corrupt system and is still working to stabilize the one that replaced it. That work is hard, imperfect, and often unpopular with people who benefited from the old way. But the alternative is not “competence.” It’s capture.

That’s why this guide endorses Fritz Kaegi for Cook County Assessor—because reform is worth defending, and corruption is not something we get to shrug off as politics-as-usual."

Feb
5
2026
NEWS ARTICLE

Michele Smith: I'm Sticking with Fritz

Right now, homeowners in Cook County are getting squeezed by rising property tax bills while big corporations get sweetheart deals. The system is rigged, and it’s why the March 17 county election is so important.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi ran to make the system fairer for homeowners, and he’s made real progress. But powerful special interests have blocked a number of his reforms, and now they’re bankrolling a primary challenger to stop him.

Jan
16
2026
NEWS ARTICLE

Sun Times: Cook County Board of Review bears a lot of blame for your home's property tax increase

When the board gives hefty tax breaks to corporations, it shifts the tax burden to homeowners.

Dec
15
2025
NEWS ARTICLE

The Real Deal: Lawmakers sign off on Cook County senior property tax relief

Cook County leaders clinched a rare win on property taxes in Springfield, as lawmakers approved a measure expanding tax relief for low-income seniors a move that could shift costs elsewhere and add fuel to the county’s political battles ahead of next year’s elections.

Nov
3
2025
NEWS ARTICLE

Fox 32: Cook County assessor pushes for more tax relief as seniors face property bill delays

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi explains why property tax bills are delayed, how the Senior Freeze Exemption may be at risk, and what his office is doing to ease the burden on senior homeowners.

Oct
23
2025
NEWS ARTICLE

Chicago Tribune: Study finds Kaegi has improved fairness in Cook County property assessments

Assessor Fritz Kaegi has “clearly improved” the fairness of Cook County’s property tax assessment system over his two terms, according to a new study crediting his office with reversing problems that led to the overvaluation of lower-priced homes and the undervaluation of high-priced home

Sep
5
2025
NEWS ARTICLE

The Citizen: Assessor’s Office approves record number of tax-saving exemptions for seniors and veterans with disabilities

Cook County – The Cook County Assessor’s Office approved a record number of exemptions for seniors and veterans with disabilities in Tax Year 2024, helping tens of thousands of homeowners receive much-needed property tax savings.

Aug
13
2025
NEWS ARTICLE

Chicago Tribune: Appeals system raised property tax bills for Cook County homeowners, report says

Cook County’s property tax appeal process shifted $1.91 billion in taxes from businesses onto homeowners over the last three years, exacerbating inequities in the city and suburbs, a new report found.

May
5
2025

Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

Assessor Fritz Kaegi Calls on Pat Hynes To Return $25,000 Donation From Family That Cheered Murder of Alex Pretti

Assessor Fritz Kaegi sounds alarm on increasingly troubling pool of donors for Hynes campaign

Feb
2
2026
PRESS RELEASE

Assessor Fritz Kaegi Slams Pat Hynes for Taking Donations From Trump Tower’s Property Tax Lawyers, MAGA Donors

Assessor candidate Pat Hynes has taken $300,000 from the real estate industry, including 115 donations from property tax attorneys who profit from corporate tax cuts

Jan
26
2026
PRESS RELEASE

Assessor Candidate Pat Hynes Bankrolled by Property Tax Attorneys and Real Estate Industry

More than $270,000 of Pat Hynes’ donations come from real estate interests; one in four donors are property tax appeal lawyers

Jan
14
2026
PRESS RELEASE

Assessor Fritz Kaegi on Tax Sale Court Ruling: “Families Should Be Getting Relief”

Assessor Kaegi applauds ruling, calls on lawmakers in Springfield to make families whole and pass circuit breaker legislation to protect homeowners

Dec
10
2025
PRESS RELEASE

Congressional Democrats Endorse Fritz Kaegi For Re-Election As County Assessor

Both U.S. Senators as well as a majority of Cook County’s congressional delegation have endorsed Assessor Kaegi

Dec
4
2025
PRESS RELEASE

Fritz Kaegi Launches First Ad of Campaign, Exposing How Corporations Shift Tax Burden onto Homeowners

The ad, “Seesaw,” highlights how Fritz is fighting to un-rig a property tax system that gives corporations big tax cuts while forcing homeowners to foot the bill

Dec
2
2025
PRESS RELEASE

Assessor Fritz Kaegi Condemns Federal Charges Against Local Officials Who Protested at ICE Facility

Cook County Assessor calls charges blatant political retribution meant to criminalize protest and free speech

Oct
29
2025
PRESS RELEASE

Fritz Kaegi Submits More Than 22,000 Petition Signatures to Appear on Ballot for Re-Election

Cook County Assessor submits three times more signatures than required in a show of widespread grassroots support

Oct
27
2025
PRESS RELEASE

Cook County Homeowners Saved $1.9 Billion Under Fritz Kaegi’s Reforms, University of Chicago Study Finds 

Independent study finds that Assessor Kaegi made property tax assessments fairer for middle and lower priced homes

Sep
1
2025
PRESS RELEASE

Assessor Fritz Kaegi Condemns Berrios-Era Corruption After Feds Sentence Former Official For Taking Bribes

“If you want to know why some factions of the machine don’t like me, it’s because I put a stop to the pay-to-play corruption detailed here by the feds”

Jul
29
2025