Mario Calabresi, journalist and former editor of Repubblica, has publicly confirmed for the first time that he is considering a possible candidacy for mayor of Milan ahead of the 2027 local elections, which will determine the successor to current mayor Giuseppe Sala.

The statements came during a debate at the Festa dell'Unità Milano Sud-Est, in response to journalist Francesca Martelli. «Running? Many people ask me in the street, and I answer that yes, I am thinking about it. I am thinking about it and I would like to do my part for Milan, I care about it», Calabresi said. He then clarified that the path to a possible candidacy has not yet been defined: «How we will get there, whether there will be primaries or not, all of this we will understand after the summer. I am respectfully waiting to see what will be decided, what kind of path will be decided and whether there will be a possibility».

Current mayor Giuseppe Sala had already commented on the hypothesis in previous days, calling Calabresi «a person of level».

According to some outlets, Calabresi's possible candidacy has drawn cross-party reactions. Carlo Calenda, leader of Azione, reportedly expressed appreciation, calling Calabresi an excellent potential candidate. Former mayor Gabriele Albertini and former governor of Lombardy Roberto Formigoni also reportedly offered positive assessments, while within the center-left some figures, including AVS group leader in the Lombardy Region Onorio Rosati, reportedly expressed reservations about the inclusion of a figure not coming from the political parties. Other potential candidates from the progressive camp include Pierfrancesco Majorino, deputy mayor Anna Scavuzzo, and council member Lorenzo Pacini.

On the center-right side, according to some journalistic reconstructions, the interest in a civic candidacy like Calabresi's would strengthen the position of those within Forza Italia who support an external candidate, while Senate president Ignazio La Russa would insist on the candidacy of Maurizio Lupi. Former commissioner Carlo Cottarelli, previously sounded out by Forza Italia, reportedly declared he is not available.

These political dynamics have been reconstructed primarily by a single outlet and require cross-confirmation. The established fact concerns Calabresi's public declaration, in which he admitted for the first time that he is considering running for Palazzo Marino.