Vallas ultimately remained head of the Recovery School District through 2011. On April 28, 2008 he appeared before the City Club of Chicago and on Chicago news shows discussing a possible run for governor in 2010. In February 2009, Vallas gave an interview to Carol Marin in the "Chicago Sun-Times" and stated that he planned to return to Cook County, Illinois in 2009 and run as a Republican for Cook County Board president in 2010. On June 11, 2009, Vallas announced that he would not be a candidate for President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2010. Vallas stated that he could not "begin a political campaign while trying to finish what he started—rebuild the school system there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina." After Haiti's 2010 earthquake, President René Préval gave the Inter-American Development Bank the mandate to work with the Education Ministry and the National Commission preparing a major reform of the Education System in a 5-year plan to reconstruct; Mr. Vallas has been working with the bank in this effort. In 2013, Vallas became Superintendent of the Bridgeport Public Schools. On June 28, 2013, a state superior court judge ruled that Vallas did not complete a state-mandated school leadership program and was therefore not qualified to be superintendent in Connecticut. On July 17, 2013 the State Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of the ruling and to decide if he should remain in office. This followed several months of controversy over Vallas' credentials to serve as superintendent in the state of Connecticut. In November 2013, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn tapped Vallas to be his running mate in the 2014 election, after incumbent lieutenant governor Sheila Simon chose to unsuccessfully run for Comptroller. Quinn and Vallas lost the election to the Republican ticket of Bruce Rauner and Evelyn Sanguinetti. In March 2018, Vallas formally filed to become a candidate in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election. When he entered the race, Vallas was seen to be a potentially strong opponent to incumbent Rahm Emanuel, who was seeking reelection at the time. In September, Emanuel dropped out of the race, and the field for mayor grew, with many high-profile candidates entering the race. Among the numerous candidates to enter the race after Emanuel withdrew was Gery Chico, Vallas' one-time political ally, with whom he oversaw Chicago Public Schools. Vallas had endorsed Chico for mayor in 2011. Despite this history, Vallas did not hesitate to criticize Chico as a mayoral opponent. Vallas staked a large part of his candidacy on his record as head of Chicago Public Schools, arguing that he helped to turn around the school system, and that his leadership left the system in better shape.