With the midterm elections rapidly receding into the rearview mirror, the 2023 Chicago mayoral election is looming in the distance, with 11 candidates currently vying for the position.
Highlighting the list is Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who will seek a second term in office. She has drawn a number of challengers in this year’s race, including several members of the Chicago City Council and a host of high-profile political names.
Several candidates will take another crack at winning the mayoral job, including former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García and Dr. Willie Wilson.
Part of the tradition of Chicago politics is that candidates will face challenges to their nominating petitions, and at least five have hearings in coming days to determine whether or not they have enough valid signatures to remain on the ballot.
The first round of the election is slated for Feb. 28. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote in that election, then the top-two candidates would advance to a run-off, scheduled for April 4.
Note: rather than listing the candidates in alphabetical order, we have listed them in the order in which they would currently appear on the Feb. 28 ballot.
Ja’Mal Green
Local
A community activist, Green has gained public attention for his work supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, and he also has founded several community organizations, including the Small Business Repair Program and My turn to Own. He has also focused his efforts largely on addressing the problem of violence in the city.
You can learn more about Green on his Twitter account.
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Green's petitions have been challenged by Ricky Hendon on behalf of Dr. Willie Wilson's campaign. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 20.
Ald. Sophia King
King has represented Chicago’s fourth ward since April 2016, having lived in the area for 30 years. Her campaign has had a heavy focus on transparency in government, on the city’s handling of violent crime, and on education, with tabs dedicated to those topics on her campaign website.
State Rep. Kam Buckner
Buckner was raised in Roseland and Washington Heights, and his current house district represents parts of Bronzeville, Gold Coast, Hyde Park, River North, South Shore and Woodlawn, among others. His platform includes what he calls a “4-Star Plan,” focusing on safety and justice, education, economic opportunity, and stabilizing the city’s finances.
You can read more about his campaign on his website.
Dr. Willie Wilson
Wilson, who has owned a series of McDonald’s franchises and various companies, has a long history of running for office in Chicago, with mayoral runs in 2015 and 2019 and a run for Senate in 2020. Wilson is running on a platform to “Recover, Restore and Rebuild” the city, and has pointed to his efforts to donate free fuel and masks to underserved communities as examples of how he’d begin to tackle issues in the city.
You can read more about Wilson on his campaign website.
Wilson's nominating petitions have been challenged by Kevin Hobby, and a hearing is scheduled for Dec. 20.
Brandon Johnson
A Cook County commissioner, Johnson was launched into the race with some powerful endorsements from the Chicago Teachers Union and the American Federation of Teachers. Johnson lives in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, and previously worked as a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools system before being elected to the Cook County Board.
You can read more about Johnson on his Twitter account.
Paul Vallas
Vallas is the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and has also run in several statewide races, losing the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 2002 and losing the 2014 governor’s race as Pat Quinn’s running mate. Vallas has cited his experiences in running large school districts as he’s hit the campaign trail, and has pledged to make massive changes to the city’s finances, address issues of public safety and to integrate parents more effectively into the educational system.
You can read more about Vallas on his campaign website.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Lightfoot was elected mayor in 2019, winning a runoff against Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to replace Rahm Emanuel in office. Before her tenure as mayor, she served in a variety of positions, including as president of the Chicago Police Board. She has promised to work toward expanding economic opportunity across the city and to continue her work in bolstering education, police reform and neighborhood development if elected to a second term.
You can visit the mayor’s campaign website here.
Frederick Collins
A 29-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, Collins has emphasized new investments and strategies in public safety as part of his campaign platform. He has also published platform planks on education and economic reforms on his website, which you can view here.
Collins' nominating petitions were challenged by Andre Holland, and a hearing is scheduled for Dec. 17.
Johnny Logalbo
Logalbo, a truck driver for the Chicago Department of Aviation, does not have a campaign website, but does have a Facebook page that says he would "bring the focus more on God, the people, and Love" in his campaign. WBEZ reports that he is also a freelance counselor and that he is running for office for the first time.
Logalbo's nominating petitions have been challenged by Andre Holland and Devlin Schoop, with separate hearings on the objections slated for Dec. 17.
Ald. Roderick Sawyer
Sawyer comes from a family of political leaders, with his father Eugene serving as Chicago’s mayor after the death of Harold Washington. He was elected to the City Council in 2011 and represents the 6th Ward on the city’s Far South Side. He currently serves as the chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus, and serves on a variety of committees, including education and child development, as well as the rules and ethics committee.
Sawyer's petitions have been challenged by Rickey Hendon on behalf of Dr. Willie Wilson's campaign. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 20.
You can read more about Sawyer on his aldermanic page.
Rep. Jesús ‘Chuy’ García
García lost a head-to-head runoff against Emanuel in the 2015 mayoral race, and was elected to Congress for the first time in 2019. He has also served in the Illinois Senate and on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and gained local fame for supporting Bernie Sanders in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
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