Chicago race for mayor 2027: Who's running so far?

CHICAGO - The first round of voting for Chicago’s next mayor is just under six months away, and the field of candidates has been taking real shape in recent weeks.

The backstory:

While some potentially top-tier candidates have already launched their bids for the fifth floor of City Hall, as of late August, Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to say whether he'll seek a second term in office.

Johnson defeated former CPS head Paul Vallas in a runoff election in 2023 after then-incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot failed to advance out of the first round of voting.

Despite riding the support of progressives and the powerful Chicago Teachers Union and overseeing a historic drop in violent crime, Johnson has had a difficult first three-and-a-half years as mayor. His key fiscal legislative initiatives have not found sufficient support in a City Council that has increasingly flexed its muscles as an independent branch of government. 

The city's fiscal problems have remained as potent as ever with persistent budget deficits. That's led to squabbles over where to find new revenue as frustration over the rising cost of living festers. Many of the city government's key agencies have also seen significant turnover in leadership, with some criticizing the mayor's approach to governing on the way out.

The new Trump administration has also added pressure with cuts to the federal social safety net, infrastructure spending and an increase in immigration enforcement last year, especially during the widely criticized Operation Midway Blitz.

Johnson's approval rating remains dismal and the prospects of reelection are unclear at best. A field of potentially a dozen challengers have lined up for their shot in February's election. It remains to be seen whether Johnson will be the city's second-consecutive one-term mayor.

The mayor's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

"I think he hasn't decided. These decisions about whether to run or not, under these circumstances, are always actually very personal decisions," said Dick Simpson, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Chicago who served two terms on the City Council. "So I think he is somewhat genuinely undecided if he wants to do this for another four years, and there are arguments both ways that weigh on him."

Election Day is Feb. 23. If no candidate earns a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff election on April 6.

Here is a look at the candidates who have declared thus far. Candidates have until late October to collect enough valid signatures to get on the ballot.

Matthew Brewer

Brewer is an attorney and the former CEO and board chair of the Chicago Housing Authority, the nation’s third-largest public housing system.

He launched his campaign just months after a power struggle with Johnson over CHA leadership in which Brewer pushed for new CEO Keith Pettigrew.

While he said that a face-off with Johnson wasn’t his inspiration to run for mayor, Brewer said his experience helping run the CHA did. He made affordable housing a key point in his campaign announcement.

Brewer is a native of Chicago’s Grand Crossing neighborhood. He holds degrees from Stanford University, Yale Law School and Harvard Business School, according to his biography. He said he also founded the city's first Black-owned cannabis dispensary and co-owns The Wiener’s Circle.

George Cardenas

Cardenas serves as a member of the Cook County Board of Review, which oversees property assessment appeals for taxes. He previously served as an alderman representing parts of the city's Southwest Side for nearly two decades.

He's put the city’s finances at the center of his campaign, calling for "fiscal discipline."

Cardenas came to Chicago as a child from Durango, Mexico, and served in the U.S. Navy before earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University.

Danielle Carter-Walters

Carter-Walters is one of the few openly conservative candidates for mayor and is a co-founder of Chicago Flips Red, the grassroots initiative that has become a fixture at City Council meetings criticizing Mayor Johnson and other elected officials. She has called for the restoration of "law and order" in the city.

She and the group have frequently accused city leadership of "waste, fraud and abuse," pointing to the ever-increasing budgets and taxes. She’s called for a forensic audit of each city government department.

Carter-Walters has also said her top priority is public safety and argued for welcoming federal help to assist local law enforcement. She’s also called for ending the city’s so-called sanctuary policies, which limit the degree to which Chicago police cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Alexi Giannoulias

Giannoulias has served as Secretary of State since 2023, where he oversees vital agencies like the Department of Motor Vehicles. He’s touted his efforts to "modernize" services and reduce wait times at DMV facilities during his tenure. 

He entered the race earlier this month and is widely seen as a top-tier contender due to his lead in recent polling and because he has more than $20 million in his campaign war chest, far more than any other candidate.

Giannoulias previously served as the state’s treasurer from 2007 to 2011. He unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010, losing to Republican Mark Kirk.

He also served as vice president of Broadway Bank in Chicago. After Giannoulias left the bank, it collapsed during the Great Recession and was seized by federal regulators.

Between earning his bachelor’s degree at Boston University and a law degree at Tulane, he played professional basketball for a year in Greece.

Joe Holberg

Holberg is an entrepreneur who was the first official candidate in the race. He was a middle school math teacher on the city's West Side and founded Spring, a "financial wellness" company, according to his campaign website.

In frequent short videos on his campaign social media platforms, he talks about the need for more affordable housing in the city and "smarter" city spending. He’s said he wants to build 100,000 new housing units to increase housing supply while also freezing property taxes, although several other local government bodies impose their own property taxes.

Holberg has spoken about his modest start in life as a first-generation college student and finishing his education while sleeping in his car.

Susana Mendoza

Mendoza has served as the Illinois comptroller, the state’s "chief fiscal control officer," for nearly a decade, during which she was tasked with maintaining the state’s fiscal accounts and paying down a large backlog of bills.

The Chicago native is turning down another run for that statewide office to again run for mayor.

Mendoza has been an unabashed critic of Mayor Johnson and his administration, recently calling his decisions a "blizzard of incompetence" in an op-ed. She’s touting her experience in city and state government in her campaign.

She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2019, finishing fifth in the first round of voting. Lori Lightfoot would go on to defeat Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in that runoff election.

Mendoza previously served as a state legislator for a decade and then as Chicago’s city clerk before being elected to comptroller in a special election in late 2016.

Dr. Lisa Nee

Dr. Lisa Nee is a cardiologist who grew up in Humboldt Park and graduated from Loyola University.

Nee started her career in health care as a nurse before becoming a cardiologist. She’s also worked as a policy adviser and led medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A little over a decade ago, Nee was one of several employees who raised concerns about patient care at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in suburban Cook County. She disclosed "serious deficiencies in cardiovascular care," including an allegation that unnecessary coronary procedures were performed on patients, according to federal investigators. She said the allegations revealed "a lot of basic, unethical behavior."

Nee told Fox Chicago she thinks the most pressing issue in the city is residents’ lack of trust in their leaders.

Maria Pappas 

Pappas has served as the Cook County treasurer since 1998, overseeing the collection of property taxes that fund about 2,200 local government bodies in the county.

In recent years, Pappas’ office has produced several studies detailing how and why skyrocketing property taxes have affected Cook County residents, especially in lower-income areas with predominantly Black and Latino residents. Her office has pointed to various issues like a "broken" property tax appeals system and low turnout in elections where property tax increases are on the ballot.

While she hasn't officially launched her campaign for mayor, she has told Fox Chicago that she will run and has already been vocally critical of Johnson and fellow mayoral hopefuls.

Mike Quigley

Quigley has served in U.S. House of Representatives since 2009, representing parts of Chicago's North Side.

The Lakeview resident previously served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. He started his career as an aldermanic aide, according to his campaign website.

In Congress, Quigley has supported Medicare for All, abortion rights and LGBTQ rights, legislation to improve the environment, and making federal buildings safer for birds. He also touted his role in helping secure $2 billion for the extension of the CTA Red Line through the Far South Side.

He's laid out his approach to tackling the city's $1 billion in debt and endorsed the city adopting a charter, essentially the equivalent of a constitution for a municipality.

Quigley holds a bachelor’s degree from Roosevelt University, a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Loyola University Chicago.

Mark Su

Su says on his campaign website he’s a software engineer, media creator and writer who has lived in Chicago for over 30 years. He describes himself as a "community contributor and activist, a media professional" and is a parent of a CPS student.

He’s also pledged to cut the city’s sales tax and lower property taxes by 10%, although he did not specify how he would do that as property tax rates are set by other local government entities, not just the city. He also said he'd lower rent in the city by 15%.

Su previously ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary this year for the 9th Congressional District, receiving 8% of the vote.

Willie Wilson

Wilson has had a wide-ranging business career, from owning multiple McDonald's franchises to producing a gospel music television program, and parlayed that into a career as a perennial candidate for office.

He ran for mayor of Chicago in 2015, 2019 and 2023, for the U.S. Senate in 2020 and even for U.S. President in 2016. In 2023, he came in fifth place in the first round with a little over 9% of the vote.

Wilson has also made a name for himself through his philanthropy. His numerous gas and grocery giveaways to residents in Chicago and surrounding suburbs have drawn much attention, including as recently as this past weekend. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he also gave out free medical supplies like masks. One of his other business ventures was founding a medical supplies company.

When is Election Day?

What's next:

Election Day for the first round of voting in the mayoral race is Feb. 23. 

If no candidate earns a majority of the vote, then the top-two vote earners will advance to a runoff election that will be held on April 6.