Daniel Biss files for statewide office

A week after he announced interest in the office of Illinois Comptroller, state Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, has filed papers with the Illinois State Board of Elections, indicating he’s raising money for a statewide run.

The filing, made public on Monday, follows his fund reporting last week that Biss held more than $1.2 million in his campaign account.

“It’s just one more step in the process before reaching a formal announcement,” Biss said Monday.

Biss is a Harvard-educated academic who earned an advanced degree in mathematics from MIT. He went on to work as a math professor at the University of Chicago before making a run for office.

Biss was elected to the Illinois House in 2011, serving one term before winning election in the Illinois Senate in 2013.

Biss raised the funds despite the public interest of another Democrat, City Clerk Susana Mendoza, a top political ally of Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

“I am eager to help move the state forward in any way I can, to the best of my abilities,” Biss told the Sun-Times last week. “I will certainly be making an announcement before too long.”

Comptroller Leslie Munger, appointed by Gov. Bruce Rauner following the sudden death of Judy Baar Topinka, is the Republican who likely would run against the winner of a Democratic primary.

The general election is November 2016.