2027 Chicago mayoral election

Incumbent first term mayor Brandon Johnson was elected with 52% of the vote in the runoff of the 2023 election. His approval ratings in the latter portion of his term have hovered at about 31%.^[9][10] His administration has faced significant pushback from the city council and his failure to pass the "Bring Chicago Home" ordinance was seen as a setback for his tax agenda.^[6][7] His approval rating were in the mid-20s to low-30s throughout late 2025 and early 2026, failing to reach the 50% benchmark often necessary for re-election.^[8] In a 2025 article by The Wall Street Journal, Johnson was called "America's Worst Mayor".^[6] In an interview in late July 2026, Johnson said he was in no rush to announce a re-election campaign while also defending his record and agenda.^[11] In an article by The New York Times the following month, it was noted that Johnson faced a difficult path to re-election due to eroding support, the city’s financial issues, growing disapproval ratings and lackluster fundraising to a potential re-election bid.^[4]

On October 6, 2025, Joe Holberg, an entrepreneur who founded and sold a money management firm, became the first candidate to formally enter the race.^[13] On November 17, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced her intent to run while not formally launching a campaign.^[14] She is also simultaneously running in the 2026 County Treasurer election, stating that race is her first priority and that she is in the mayoral race "unofficially" until the Treasurer election concludes.^[14] Pappas has routinely challenged Johnson's more progressive taxation proposals.^[14][15] In September, Pappas also commissioned the first poll of the election, a head-to-head poll between her and Johnson with a sample size of 800 that showed Pappas having a 56%-23% lead with 21% being undecided.^[16]

On January 6, 2026, U.S. representative Mike Quigley announced his intent to run.^[17][18] He said he would also simultaneously running for re-election to his congressional seat in 2026 and make a formal announcement after the March primary.^[18][19] In his announcement Quigley stated that "Chicago is in crisis" and that it cannot tax its way out of financial trouble centering his campaign around a pro-business outlook.^[18] In May 2026, businessman and three-time mayoral candidate Willie Wilson established an exploratory committee for a potential fourth mayoral bid.^[20]

On June 3, outgoing Illinois Comptroller and 2019 mayoral candidate Susana Mendoza announced her candidacy for mayor under the slogan “progress that people can actually feel” promising to reduce rent while also increasing welfare benefits.^[21][22] Mendoza’s campaign was noted for her tough on crime stance and for running “to the right” of Johnson’s agenda.^[4] On June 16, Cook County Board of Review member and former alderman George Cardenas announced his bid.^[23] On June 25, former operating chair of the Chicago Housing Authority Matt Brewer announced his candidacy, a month after he was ousted from the role by Johnson following disagreements about the board's choice for the new CEO for the CHA.^[24] Brewer has campaigned on a pro-business and affordability-focused platform, calling for increased housing development, business growth and a public safety strategy focused on prevention, intervention and enforcement.^[25] On June 27, Quigley formally announced his campaign.^[26]

Early polling data have shown state officials Alexi Giannoulias and Susana Mendoza as the leading contenders against Johnson^[5][27]

By June 30, Giannoulias had approximately $21.85 million in campaign cash on hand, substantially more than the other mayoral contenders, dwarfing the $631,309 cash on hand by Johnson, $376,676 by Quigley, and $278,000 by Pappas.^[28] In a poll held in July 2026 only 13.6% of Chicago residents wanted mayor Johnson to run again, while 58% said they were not excited for a potential Johnson campaign.^[5] In the same poll 53% of residents were excited for a Giannoulias mayoral bid, and 47% where excited for Mendoza's bid.^[5] On July 14, 2023 mayoral runner-up Paul Vallas ruled out running again while acknowledging that Giannoulias had the support of several unions.^[29] Two days later, Chicago Flips Red co-founder Danielle Carter-Walters announced her candidacy as the Republican-leaning candidate of the election.^[30] A week later, lobbyist John Kelly announced his candidacy highlighting his experience working with city officials while representing the White Sox.^[31][32]

On August 2, Giannoulias announced his candidacy for mayor claiming Mayor Johnson "has not met the moment" and vowing to hire 1,000-1,500 additional police officers by 2030. Giannoulias also called for universal pre-K, raising the minimum wage, expanding affordable housing and reforming property taxes.^[33][34] Three days later on August 5, businessman Willie Wilson declared his candidacy.^[35] On August 10, Liam Stanton suspended his campaign and subsequently endorsed Giannoulias.^[36] By the end of the month, an M3 Strategies poll among public workers found Johnson, Giannoulias and Mendoza as the top three leaders of the election.^[27]

On September 13, Johnson formally announced his re-election campaign at the DuSable Black History Museum.^[37][2] By the time of Johnson's announcement, he only had $650,000 in his campaign fund, compared Giannoulias who had amassed $22 million for his campaign fund.^[37] In his campaign announcement, Johnson painted himself as the only progressive candidate in the field, while WBEZ had already noted Giannoulias as the front-runner in the race.^[37] After his re-election announcement, The Chicago Sun-Times noted obstacles in Johnson's re-election ranging from lackluster campaign fundraising, weaker union coalitions, hesitant black voters and stronger opponents specifically in Giannoulias and Quigley, however also mentioned Johnson had the advantage of the incumbency and touting his progressive agenda such as affordability.^[38]

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