Nearly 70% of Chicago voters unhappy with mayor’s job on migrant crisis
Chicago voters disapproved of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handling of every issue, but nearly 70% found fault with his handling of the migrant crisis, a new poll showed. Crime and housing disapproval were not far behind.
New polling shows 69% of Chicago voters disapprove of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handling of the migrant crisis, with only 23% approving with 8% unsure.
Johnson’s handling of crime saw 66% of voters disapproving to some degree, with half strongly disapproving. The Illinois Policy Institute poll of 800 registered Chicago voters conducted from Jan. 16-21 by Echelon Insights also found a majority of voters disapproved of Johnson’s handling of all six issues surveyed.
Overall, 29% of Chicago voters approve of the mayor’s job, up slightly from 28% in October. The share of voters somewhat or strongly disapproving of Johnson’s job grew from 50% to 57% since October. Nearly half as many voters remained undecided about him.
Johnson won 52% of registered voters in the April election. Usually, a mayor early in a term is more popular with voters. Besides former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s and Rahm Emanuel’s woes, Johnson’s 28% approval rating from October was the lowest for a mayor since 1979. That’s when a blizzard hit, many streets went unplowed and a few months later Mayor Michael Bilandic’s re-election bid failed.
His approval rating is a sign Johnson may need to change his actions to increase his favorability with voters. It may also mean his “mansion tax” proposal on the March 19 ballot faces headwinds from his lack of approval.
If voters approve, the tax would raise the cost of selling a property valued at $1 million or more, which in Chicago means the $400 million he projected in higher taxes would hit nine businesses for every mansion it taxes. Small business owners trying to retire would face the tax on what is likely their greatest asset, and for a homeless program Johnson has yet to detail.
To see the new poll toplines, click here.
To see the new poll crosstabs, click here.