While the majority of the 50 Chicago City Council seats were filled after the Feb. 28 elections, more than a dozen are still up for grabs in the April 4 runoff.
The list of elections includes several incumbent members of the City Council that are facing uphill battles to keep their seats, as well as wide-open contests in wards with no incumbent in the hunt.
With that in mind, we have identified seven races that could provide some fireworks on Tuesday.
You can find a full list of the runoff elections here, and you can see how the city’s wards voted in the Feb. 28 election on the Board of Elections’ website.
Ward 6
The race to replace Ald. Roderick Sawyer was closely-watched throughout the campaign, and William Hall and Richard Wooten earned spots in the runoff, finishing just 71 votes apart.
Hall was endorsed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the first round of voting, and also received support from the SEIU and Chicago Teachers Union.
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Wooten, a former police officer, is vying for the seat for the third time, having lost to Sawyer in 2015 and 2019. He is the pastor at Gather Point Universal Ministries in Brainerd, according to his campaign website.
Ward 11
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Ald. Nicole Lee faced a tough road in the election as she sought to win a full term after being appointed in 2022, and while she did receive nearly 31% of the vote, she faced a tough challenge from Anthony Ciaravino.
Ciaravino, a police officer, received the support of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police during the first round of voting, and received 29.4% of the vote, finishing less than 200 votes behind Lee.
Ward 21
Another tight race is unfolding in the 21st ward, with Ronnie Mosley and Cornell Dantzler squaring off in a battle to win Ald. Howard Brookins’ seat.
Mosley also received the support of Pritzker in the first round of voting, and also received Brookins’ backing, according to his campaign website.
Dantzler told the Chicago Crusader that he would emphasize public safety, infrastructure investment and trade development.
Ward 29
In a surprising development, Ald. Chris Taliaferro will face a runoff for his seat in the 29th ward, having received 49.75% of the vote.
CB Johnson finished with just under 40%, with write-in votes potentially helping to swing the result in the race to deny Taliaferro the outright victory.
The Chicago Crusader was one of the biggest endorsers Johnson received in the first round, pledging not to be a “rubber stamp” for the mayor’s office if elected.
Ward 30
With Ald. Ariel Reboyras bowing out, Jessica Gutierrez won nearly 38% of the vote. She will run against Ruth Cruz in the April 4 runoff.
Gutierrez received the support of several local unions, including UNITE HERE Local 1 and the IATSE Local 2, and also got support from Rep. Mike Quigley, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, and former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, according to her campaign website.
Cruz meanwhile received endorsements from the Chicago Federation of Labor, UA Plumbers Local 130, and AFSCME, among others.
Ward 43
Ald. Timmy Knudsen holds the inglorious title of receiving the lowest-percentage of votes for an incumbent in a City Council race, with 26.84% of ballots going his way.
He will face Brian Comer, who received the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune as he seeks to continue work he started as president of the Sheffield Neighborhood Association and the 43rd Ward Alliance.
Ward 48
Ald. Harry Osterman’s seat sparked one of the largest fields in the election, with Joe Dunne and Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth earning spots in the runoff.
Dunne has received the backing of numerous labor unions, including the Chicago Federation of Labor, the Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2, and the SEIU Illinois State Council. He’s also been backed by former Gov. Pat Quinn, as well as Chicago Ald. Harry Osterman.
Manaa-Hoppenworth has been endorsed by the Illinois Nurses Association and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, and has been backed by Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, as well as former Rep. Marie Newman.
