Meet Daniel

With the pragmatism of a mathematician and the tenacity of an organizer, Daniel has always brought people together to tackle the biggest issues.

Organizer.

Mayor Daniel Biss is a proud dad, husband, mathematician, and juggler (really!), who has been proud to serve as Mayor of Evanston since 2021.

Daniel grew up in Bloomington, Indiana and moved to Illinois after completing his Bachelor’s degree at Harvard University and his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At the age of 25, he joined the University of Chicago’s mathematics faculty.

It was while teaching, in the early days of the Iraq War, that Daniel was compelled to involve himself in his community. He began to work as an organizer, building support for progressive candidates and ideals. Through that work, as Daniel became more familiar with the critical issues facing his community, he decided he had to do more – and he ran for office.

Real Experience.

Daniel was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2010. In 2012, he ran for the Senate, where he represented Evanston and the 9th district for six years. During his time in state government, Daniel developed a reputation for forwarding pragmatic and progressive solutions to policy problems covering a wide range of policy issues. He earned numerous recognitions for this work, including the Alzheimer’s Association Illinois Legislator of the Year award, the Richard J. Phelan Profile in Courage Award from Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, and designation as one of Crain’s Chicago 40 Under 40.
Daniel passed historic legislation that led to a ban on so-called LGBTQ “conversion therapy” and the creation of a groundbreaking first-of-its-kind retirement security program, as well as Evanston-focused initiatives like a law that allowed the consolidation of the City and Township to save taxpayer money and progress toward generating renewable energy in our community.

Progressive Values.

Four years ago, Daniel ran for Mayor because he believed his experience set him apart as the leader Evanston needed to navigate the dual challenges of a pandemic and a long-overdue reckoning with inequities present in our country since its founding, much of which needed to occur at the local level.

 

While there’s still much work to do, addressing these challenges proactively to move Evanston forward has been a hallmark of Daniel’s first term as Mayor. 


Daniel continues to believe in Evanston as a progressive community that can and should be at the forefront, leading the nation into a more equitable era, while providing high-quality municipal services and an accessible, responsive government. He’s running for re-election to continue to put his experience to work for all Evanstonians, leading Evanston forward to take on its biggest challenges with innovative solutions.


Daniel and his wife Karin live with their two children in northwest Evanston. In his free time, Daniel is an avid rock climber and can often be found enjoying Evanston’s small businesses.