Voters in Chicago will head to the polls on Feb. 28 to cast their ballot for mayor, 50 aldermanic seats, the city clerk and city treasurer.
There are nine candidates running for Chicago mayor. Here’s what you need to know about each of them.
Since joining the mayoral race, Buckner, a self-styled progressive Democrat, has jumped into some of Springfield’s hottest issues, has been steadily rolling out policy proposals, including improving CTA service and safety, boosting the city’s environmental commitments, and filling vacancies at Chicago Police Department. Read more here.
Born in Durango, Mexico, García was a young protegé of Latino community activist Rudy Lozano, who was a budding political star before he was killed by a gang member. With Harold Washington’s help, García won election as 22nd Ward Democratic committeeman in 1984. Garcia worked his way up to Congress over the following three decades. Read more here.
Ja’Mal Green is a community activist and entrepreneur who made a name for himself during the protests over the Chicago police murder of Laquan McDonald. He previously ran for mayor in 2019 until withdrawing amid a challenge to his signatures and remains the youngest candidate during this election cycle. Read more here.
Brandon Johnson has served in the Cook County Board of Commissioners since 2018, when he defeated incumbent Richard Boykin in the 1st District that covers the western suburbs and West Side of Chicago. Johnson is the son of a pastor and worked as a social studies teacher at Edward Jenner Academy in Cabrini Green until 2010. Read more here.
Sophia King has represented the 4th Ward that stretches along the lakefront from the South Loop to Bronzeville since 2016, when she was appointed to replace Ald. Will Burns. She is the only woman challenging Lightfoot for the mayor’s seat in 2023 and is known for working to rename Lake Shore Drive to honor Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, the Black founder of Chicago as well as pushing for a minimum wage increase to $15. Read more here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot shocked Chicago’s political establishment in 2019 when she defeated Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in a landslide. Much of her tenure has been spent leading the city through COVID-19 and dealing with high crime, which spiked dramatically in 2020. Read more here.
The son of Eugene Sawyer, the former alderman and mayor who took over after the death of Harold Washington, Rod Sawyer has represented the 6th ward on Chicago’s City Council since 2011. Before becoming alderman, Sawyer operated his own law firm focused mostly on licensing issues. Read more here.
A former City Hall insider who has campaigned as both an expert administrator and outside-the-box thinker, Paul Vallas rose to local prominence as Chicago Public Schools CEO, serving under Mayor Richard M. Daley. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002, losing to Rod Blagojevich in the Democratic primary, for lieutenant governor in 2016 losing alongside Pat Quinn to Bruce Rauner, and for mayor in 2019. Read more here.
Willie Wilson ran for mayor in 2015 and 2019; traveled the country as part of a long-shot campaign for president in 2016, where he appeared on the ballot in a handful of states; and challenged U.S. Senator Dick Durbin in 2020. Read more here.
