The Illinois midterm election may be coming to a close, but election season isn't over just yet. In fact, with just a few months away from the 2023 Chicago mayoral race, it's just beginning.
The 2023 Chicago mayoral election scheduled for Feb. 28 is looming in the distance, with at least 10 declared candidates — including incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot — and several others still weighing bids.
Thursday morning, one of those suspected candidates officially threw his hat in the ring: Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García.
García, who represents Illinois' 4th District and on Tuesday was just reelected to his third term, first ran for Mayor in 2015 against Rahm Emanuel. After a close election between the two forced a runoff, García eventually lost.
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In 2019, García was elected to Congress. 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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García's campaign video has already been posted to YouTube. However, his official announcement is took place Thursday — the 40th anniversary of Harold Washington announcing his campaign for mayor of Chicago.
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Washington, whom García considered to be a mentor and close friend, in 1983 went on to become Chicago's Black mayor.
"We hope for a safer and more prosperous Chicago because we and the city deserve it," Garcia said in his announcement, while supporters chanted his name in the background. "That's why today, I'm announcing my candidacy for Mayor."
In his announcement, García touched on his background growing up in the city's Little Village neighborhood on the southwest side, his time working with labor activist Rudy Lozano and Mayor Harold Washington, along with his role in Washington D.C.
"I'm the only candidate observing the city at every level of government," he said.
García platform for mayor includes messages around inclusivity, getting a "handle on the violence and crime" in the city, mental health, jobs, investing in the city's youth and what he calls rebuilding "trust between communities and law enforcement," which he says begins with accountability, transparency, quality training and diverse hiring practices.
The first round of the Chicago mayoral 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.
Here’s who is in, and who might still run, for Chicago mayor.
Declared Candidates
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.
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.
Ja’Mal Green
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ald. Raymond Lopez
Lopez was elected to the Chicago City Council in 2015, representing a 15th Ward that includes West Englewood, Back of the Yards and Gage Park. Lopez has been a fierce critic of Lightfoot, sand says that he would seek to overhaul public safety efforts, rebuild the city’s economy, and to express support for first responders and city employees.
You can visit Lopez’s campaign website to learn more about his policies.
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.
You can read more about Sawyer on his aldermanic page.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Could Still Run
State Rep. La Shawn Ford
Ford ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2019, and has served in the Illinois General Assembly since 2007. He has primarily focused on social justice and civil rights, and has made headlines on a variety of fronts, including his 2020 call to abolish history classes in Illinois classrooms so that curricula could be reworked to include more coverage of the contributions of minority communities.
Ald. Brian Hopkins
Hopkins has served on the Chicago City Council since 2015, representing the 2nd Ward that includes parts of Lincoln Park. He has been a frequent critic of Lightfoot’s agenda, pushing against tax increases and calling on the mayor to offer more resources and support to combat crime in the downtown areas of the city.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn
Quinn served as Illinois’ treasurer in the early 90’s and became governor in 2009 when Gov. Rod Blagojevich was removed from office. He won reelection in 2010, but lost to Bruce Rauner in 2014. He also ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 2018.
