Chicago mayoral race: Who are the candidates running for mayor in 2023?
Rachel Schilke
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Nine candidates are running to be the next Chicago mayor, including current Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), whose administration has been plagued with criticism due to her responses to crime, immigration, and education.
Jan. 30 marks the beginning of the early voting period, with Election Day on Feb. 28 and the new term beginning in mid-May. Here’s a look at Lightfoot and the candidates who are running to replace her.
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL) announced his bid for mayor last November, two days after he won reelection to the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections.
Garcia, 66, has served at all levels of government, including alderman, Cook County commissioner, and Illinois state senator. He has been a U.S. representative since 2019.
In a recent Chicago Index Poll, Garcia tied with candidate Brandon Johnson with 25% of polled voters’ support, and he appears to be the front-runner in the race. The U.S. representative has called on the city to “double down” on education, stating that “your ZIP code, race, and socioeconomic status should not determine your future” in his bid announcement speech.
Garcia is no stranger to a mayoral election run. He first ran in 2015 against then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, forcing him into a runoff.
The representative has been under scrutiny for political donations linked to Sam Bankman-Fried, the now-indicted founder of the once-leading cryptocurrency firm FTX. His campaign has stated that other than a $2,900 direct donation to charity, he has no knowledge of other money spent on his behalf.
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Brandon Johnson
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, 46, is well known in the Chicagoland area for introducing a measure to prevent landlords from refusing to rent to people with certain criminal records. He also opposed Emanuel’s decision to close 50 of Chicago’s public schools back in 2013.
He is tied in the Chicago Index Poll with Garcia. He is backed with the support of the Chicago Teachers Union and many progressive groups that are working to replace Lightfoot in the 2023 election, according to WTTW.
Newly-elected U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) endorsed Johnson on Monday, stating that he respects Garcia but his late entry into the race played a role in who Jackson thought would best represent the city.
Johnson is relying heavily on the progressive and labor rights movement to win his campaign, which is run on an agenda of safe and affordable housing, universal healthcare, and fully-funded schools, as well as addressing gun violence in Chicago’s neighborhoods.
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Lori Lightfoot
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, 60, made history in 2019 as the first black female and openly gay mayor. She is currently facing a tough reelection bid to be the first woman reelected after receiving a slew of challenges in the form of the coronavirus pandemic, rising concerns over crime, and campaign controversies.
While murder and theft are still above pre-pandemic levels, Lightfoot’s campaign has made strides to highlight the city’s progress in addressing crime under her.
“Mayor Lightfoot has led this city through unprecedented challenges with tough, fair leadership — all while undertaking an ambitious agenda to deliver real, tangible results,” Hannah Goss, a spokeswoman for Lightfoot’s campaign, said in a statement to the Hill. “The mayor is improving public safety, getting guns off our streets, and hiring more officers, all while ramping up police accountability and transparency. She’s reversing decades of disinvestment in communities on Chicago’s South and West Sides to create inclusive economic growth.”
Lightfoot came up fourth in the Chicago Index Poll, receiving 11% of the polled voters’ support. She is behind Garcia, Johnson, and Paul Vallas. All other candidates received 5% or less.
Throughout her first term, she garnered criticism over her handling of immigration and, most recently, she recently received an ethics complaint from Parents Defending Education after emails were sent by her campaign asking students to volunteer in exchange for school credit.
Text messages obtained by the Chicago Tribune showed Lightfoot had a combative relationship with other leaders, such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and state Senate President Don Harmon (D).
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Paul Vallas
Paul Vallas is hoping for a victory in 2023 after coming up short in several elections over the years.
He lost in the 2019 race for mayor, receiving 5.4% of the vote. In 2002, he lost the Democratic primary for governor to Rod Blagojevich, who later was convicted of corruption. Vallas also ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2014.
Vallas endorsed Lightfoot in the 2019 runoff between her and Toni Preckwinkle. As an adviser to the Fraternal Order of Police, one of the organizations that have butted heads with Lightfoot, Vallas has criticized the mayor for her handling of city finances, public schools, and the crime surge.
He has an extensive educational background. Vallas used to run the Chicago Public Schools system from 1995 to 2001 and served as former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s budget director. After losing in 2002, he became CEO of the School District of Philadelphia, creating small high schools and updating aging buildings, as well as establishing a standardized curriculum.
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He’s worked in New Orleans and Connecticut as well, but his time in Bridgeport, Connecticut, ended with the state court ousting him for lacking the credentials needed to serve as superintendent.
Other candidates include Illinois state Sen. Kam Buckner (D), high-profile businessman Willie Wilson, Alderman Roderick Sawyer, Alderman Sophia King, and activist Ja’Mal Green. All of them received 5% or less of the vote in the Chicago Index Poll.