Watch the forum live from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday in the video player above.
With the Chicago mayoral election just days away, and a crowded field showing little signs of a clear frontrunner, NBC Chicago will join several other groups in hosting a forum with all nine candidates Monday -- and you can watch it all unfold live.
NBC 5 partnered with the Business Leadership Council, WVON, the Chicago Urban League and NABJ Chicago to host a Chicago mayoral forum on the same day that early voting expanded across the city.
Read More: Here Are 11 Races to Watch in the 2023 Chicago Elections
NBC 5 anchor Marion Brooks and WVON’s Matt McGill will moderate the forum, centered around issues affecting Chicago's Black community, from 6-8 p.m.
All nine candidates running for Chicago mayor have accepted invites to be in attendance, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Paul Vallas, Willie Wilson, Brandon Johnson, Ja’mal Green, Sophia King, Kam Buckner and Roderick Sawyer.
Chicago's municipal general election takes place on Feb. 28. Voters will cast ballots for mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, alderpeople for all 50 wards and candidates for newly created police district councils.
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the general election in any race, including the race for mayor, the top-two vote getters will advance to a runoff election that will take place on this date on April 4.
An independent poll commissioned by Telemundo Chicago, NBC 5, the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ shows a runoff is likely, with a potential three-way tie for the leading spot.
2023 Chicago Election
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The forum will stream live on NBC 5's streaming channel, "NBC Chicago News" on Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play and on NBCChicago.com. It will also be streamed on our partner's website Von.Tv.
Here's what to know about the forum, and how you can watch it.
When the Forum Takes Place
The forum will take place Monday, Feb. 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
NBC 5 anchor Marion Brooks and WVON’s Matt McGill will moderate the forum.
All nine candidates running for Chicago mayor have accepted invites to be in attendance, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Paul Vallas, Willie Wilson, Brandon Johnson, Ja’mal Green, Sophia King, Kam Buckner and Roderick Sawyer.
How to Watch the Chicago Mayoral Forum
On NBC Chicago's Website and App
- Head to NBCChicago.com and click on 24/7 Streaming News in the trending bar.
OR - Open the NBC Chicago app on your app or tablet, click on the hamburger menu in the upper right-hand corner and click 24/7 Streaming News in the trending bar.
On NBC Chicago News on Peacock
- Go to PeacockTV.com or download the free Peacock app for your streaming device, phone or tablet. It's available for iPhone or Android.
- Click on the “channels” tab in the app.
- Scroll through the channels to NBC Chicago News.
- Select the Live TV tile on your Roku TV home screen and then click the left arrow button.
OR - Open The Roku Channel app, click the left arrow button to access the left-hand navigation menu, scroll down to Channel 129 and select Live TV.
On NBC Chicago News on Samsung TV Plus
- Navigate to the "All Channels" portion of your television, connected website or mobile device. Click here to view online.
- Click on "Local News" and navigate to NBC Chicago News.
On NBC Chicago News on Xumo Play
- Open the Xumo Play app on your favorite mobile device or streaming platform.
- In the Live Guide, there is a vertical list of content sections. Scroll down to the last option, Local News.
- Scroll through the local options and select NBC Chicago News.
Where Do Things Stand in the Race for Chicago Mayor?
The Chicago mayor's race would end in a three-way tie if the election happened today, an independent poll commissioned by Telemundo Chicago, NBC 5, the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ shows, with no clear path for Mayor Lori Lightfoot to win in a runoff election.
Results from the poll, released Wednesday, showed Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, Paul Vallas and Lightfoot finishing closely together, likely forcing a runoff. According to the opinions of 625 registered Chicago voters interviewed between Jan. 31 and Feb. 3, Garcia would receive 20% of the overall vote, Vallas would receive 18% and Lightfoot would receive 17%.
Lea esta historia en español aquí
Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc., which conducted the poll, determined the potential margin for error of the results to be no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points. That puts Willie Wilson, who the poll determined would receive 12% of the vote, and Brandon Johnson, who would receive 11% of the vote, into potential contention as well.
An additional contender in the virtual tie is the undecided voter. According to the poll's findings, 18% of those interviewed said they were currently undecided when asked which candidate would get their vote.
Read more on what the poll also shows about potential runoff scenarios here.
When is the Chicago Election and When Would a Potential Runoff Take Place?
Chicago's mayoral election takes place on Feb. 28. A runoff election is slated for April 4.
