Our May 2026 edition of the Chicago Power Poll podcast with Thom Serafin is stirring the pot with six new questions. Once again, Thom welcomes the Dean of Chicago political reporters Mike Flannery. This month's special guest is another veteran journalist, Axios Chicago's Justin Kaufmann.

This month, we asked our Power Pollers to answer these questions:

• How would you rate your confidence in Chicago's overall business climate?

• Which factor most influences your confidence level in Chicago's 2027 business climate?

• Who among the potential candidates for Mayor of Chicago are most likely to emerge as the top three contenders?

• With the recent Hantavirus outbreak, how confident are you in the federal government's ability to handle emerging global health threats?

• Has the outbreak influenced your upcoming travel, event-hosting, or public-facing decisions?
• Given the opportunity, who would you most like to have dinner with from the President Trump's cabinet?

Thom, Mike, and Justin will share our Power Poll results and get into their analysis of the answers here on this month's episode.