Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said Monday she will not run for mayor in 2023 but criticized the current leadership for what she said was failing marginalized communities during a pivotal, trying moment for the city.
Davis Gates, who was said to have been mulling a bid to unseat Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the February election, made the announcement before standing alongside Cook County Board Commissioner Brandon Johnson, a longtime teachers union leader who is considering entering the race. Elected CTU leader in May with a resounding victory, Davis Gates first listed wide-ranging problems plaguing children in the city, from homelessness to gun violence.
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Then she demanded better from the city, including giving teachers and parents “on the margins” more of a voice.
“That’s what we want, but we don’t get it without a new mayor, “Everybody in this room knows y’all need a new mayor,” Davis Gates said, to cheers from the room with heavy presence from labor unions and progressive elected officials.
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“But,” she added, “it won’t be me. I really love my job. I am really honored to serve this city, because this union serves more than just its core membership.”
The powerful teachers union supported Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Lightfoot’s opponent in the runoff for mayor in 2019, which Lightfoot won handily. The CTU went on a strike just a few months later, and the contentious relationship between the union and City Hall only worsened during the pandemic, which prompted several standoffs over COVID-19 safety protocols in the schools.
Lightfoot is already facing several declared challengers to her reelection bid. Davis Gates would not say Monday whom she will support.
Johnson did not say Monday if he’s made a decision on running or if he would have any announcement soon.
Davis Gates has been a CTU leader since Karen Lewis became CTU president in 2010. Originally from South Bend, Indiana, Davis Gates worked at Englewood High School as a history teacher but left the classroom in 2011 to become more involved with the union. She served as CTU political director before becoming vice president and has been an outspoken critic of Lightfoot.
On May 20, CTU members elected Davis Gates union president by a wide enough margin to avoid a runoff in a three-slate race.
In addition to her union duties, Davis Gates is chair of United Working Families, a quasi-political party that supports progressive candidates for public office.
