What you need to know about who’s running for Chicago mayor

Nine candidates are asking to be Chicago’s next mayor. The election is outside the normal election cycle, meaning voter turnout is low despite the mayor’s impact on crime, education, the economy and Chicagoans’ taxes. Here’s what to know about the nine candidates.

Chicago’s next mayor will face challenges including rising crime, budgeting in the face of the pension crisis, a legacy of corrupt machine politics, rising property taxes and falling test scores as the contract with the Chicago Teachers Union is set to expire, promising a showdown with America’s most powerful teachers union over whether to put students over politics.

So, which of the nine candidates possesses superpowers?

The mayoral elections tend to be flooded with candidates, but the off-cycle election leads to low voter turnout. If none of the nine receives a clear majority Feb. 28, the two candidates with the most votes will be in a run-off election April 4. With so many names, it can be difficult for voters to keep track of the candidates, their positions and promises.

Below is a guide to candidates running for mayor of Chicago, their endorsements, campaign contributions given and received, and a selection of their positions on issues ranging from crime, education, health care and the economy. Chicago voters can compare the candidates’ positions to the Illinois Policy Institute’s policy priority recommendations for the mayor’s coming term.

Jesus “Chuy” Garcia

Notable endorsements:

• Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
• IAMAW 19
• IUOE 150
• UWUA 18007
• Former Gov. Pat Quinn
• Former U.S. House Rep. Luis Gutierrez, incumbent U.S. House Rep. Mike Quigley
• State Sens. Celina Villanueva and Ram Villivalam
• State Reps. Aaron Ortiz, Theresa Mah, Edgar Gonzalez Jr. and Robyn Gabel
• Chicago Aldermen Michael Rodriquez and Felix Cardona Jr.

Notable donations received:

• Fight Back Fund (Labor Union Fund) – $1,000,000 (2022 – 2023)
• CTU PAC – $11,500 (2017)

Notable donations given:

• United Working Families PAC – $10,000 (2016)

Positions on the issues:

• Education – Universal child care, more support for city colleges
• Crime – More patrols, more data on policing
• Economy – Equitable economic plan focused on minority women
• Health care – Reproductive and gender-affirming health care

Paul Vallas

Notable endorsements:

• Chicago Fraternal Order of Police
• Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
• Aldermen Anthony Napolitano, Brendan Reilly, Thomas Tunney and Brian Hopkins

Notable donations received:

• Executives at Madison Dearborn – $500,000+ (2022)
• Mike Keiser (Executive at BDGR Inc.) – $500,000+ (2022)
• Gerald Beeson (COO of Citadel) – $100,000 (2022)

Notable donations given:

• Bank the Blue (Pro Police) – $1,300 (2022)
• Brotherhood for the Fallen – $450 (2022)
• Chicago Police Sergeant’s Association – $200 (2022)

Positions on the issues:

• Education – Pro school choice, supports “Adult Education and Occupational Training Network.”
• Crime – Would immediately dismiss Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, increase officer staffing by 1,800 and increase beat cop presence
• Economy – Would create Independent Community Development Authority of community-based contractors and organizations, establish a Fair Share Investment Trust for South and West Side Chicago, reclaim and repurpose vacant and idle property, increase access for vocational programs.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Notable endorsements:

• Former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White
• Tammy Duckworth
• S. Reps. Bobby Rush, Robin Kelly, Dannie Davies and Bennie Thompson
• State Sen. Willie Preston
• Aldermen Jason Ervin and Chris Taliaferro
• LGBTQ Victory Fund
• Emily’s List
• LPAC
• Plumber’s Union Local 130

Notable donations received:

• LIUNA Chicago Laborers’ District Council PAC – $525,000 (2019, 2022)
• Carpentry Advancement PAC – $ 609,900 (2021-2023)

Notable donations given:

• Chicago Federation of Labor – $10,000 (2022)
• Reform for Illinois – $4,500 (2019)
• UA Political Education Committee – $50,000 (2019)

Positions on the issues:

• Education – Lightfoot runs on a record-high graduation rate and record-low high school dropout rate (the method of calculating graduation rates changed this year to capture technicalities, boosting the final number 1.7% higher than it would have been under the old calculation). She funded early learning services and hired hundreds of additional school social workers and nurses.
• Crime – Increased police hiring in 2022; required anonymous police complaints to be investigated.
• Economy – Expanded O’Hare, increased minimum wage to $15.40, distributed $12.5 million in transit relief to $45,000+ households.
• Health care – Created Racial Equity Response Team for COVID, Chicago 82% vaccination rate, funded over three dozen mental health clinics.

Willie Wilson

Notable endorsements:

• Alderman Raymond Lopez

Notable donations received:

• Intco Medical Industries Inc. – $10,000 (2019)

Notable donations given:

• Friends for Richard Boykin – $150,000 (2022)
• Friends of Susan Sadlowski Garza – $2,000 (2022)

Positions on the issues:

• Crime – Called for armed police officers, conductors on CTA trains, kicking out people sleeping on trains.
• Economy – Regulated grants program for education, trade and business recovery, direct financial assistance to keep people in their homes, support for homeless, seniors and churches.

Brandon Johnson

Notable endorsements:

• Chicago Teachers Union
• SEIU 73
• United Working Families
• S. Reps. Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson
• State Sens. Omar Aquino, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Robert Peters
• State Reps. Lillian Jimenez, Lakesia Collins, Will Guzzardi, Mary E. Flowers
• Aldermen Pat Dowell, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Jeanette Taylor, Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, Daniel La Spata

Notable donations received:

• CTU PAC – $564,150 (2022)
• AFT COPE – Voluntary A/C – $620,000 (2022)
• IFT COPE – $300,100 (2022)
• AFSCME 31 PAC – $56,750 (2018)
• SEIU 73B PAC – $264,323.77 (2022)

Notable donations given:

• Friends of Lakesia Collins: $15,000 (2020)
• 27th Ward Regular Democrat Organization – $4,000 (2018)
• Paid Illinois State Board of Elections $17,637 in civil penalties (2022)

Positions on the issues:

• Education – Increase funding for CPS to $1 billion/year; pro-elected school board; expand sustained community schools from pre-K to City Colleges
• Crime – Reopen city’s mental health clinics, remove the gang database, supports Treatment not Trauma
• Economy – Avowed socialist, would place additional tax on non-Chicagoans, suburbs, and airlines worth $800 million

Ja’Mal Green

No notable endorsements

Notable donations received:

• Majostee Marketing Co. – $150,000 (2022)
• Progressive Action PAC – $9,443.85 (2022)
• Crown Commercial Real Estate & Development – $16,500 (2022)

Notable donations given:

• Progressive Action PAC – $500 (2022)

Positions on the issues:

• Education – Expand community school network, social workforce, public school housing, establish universal age 3 to K education
• Crime – Would put live cameras and social workers on CTA trains; jobs programs for ex-offenders and veterans; Wants vehicle tracking devices for carjackings. Wants youth intervention department, diverting nonviolent 911 calls to alternative response teams, and a victims’ trauma fund;
• Economy – Would establish a city public bank and send $1,000 monthly checks to 10,000 Chicagoans living below poverty line; Would waive fees for new small businesses.

Sophia King

Notable endorsements:

• Alderman David Moore

Notable donations received:

• SEIU IL Council PAC: $24,593.20 (2022)
• Chicago Land Operators PAC: $11,000 (2021)
• SEIU Healthcare IL IN PAC: $9,000 (2021)

Notable donations given:

• Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus: $5,000 (2017-2022)
• Chicago Progressive Reform Caucus: $8,000 (2017-2022)
• Preckwinkle for President: $10,000 (2017-2018)
• Raoul for Illinois: $8,000 (2018)

Positions on the issues:

• Education – Wants to expand opportunities for minority apprenticeships.
• Crime – Would fire David Brown in favor of someone with Chicago roots and is pro-community policing; wants “Chicago Reserve” made up of 1,000 retired CPD officers; wants alternative responses to 911 (especially for non-violent cases)
• Economy – Wants higher minority participation in businesses, wants to expand equal opportunity for minorities. Supported $15 minimum wage.

Kambium Buckner

Notable endorsements:

• State Reps. Margaret Croke, Jehan Gordon-Booth, LaToya Greenwood, Natalie Manley and Denyse Wang Stoneback

Notable donations received:

• LIUNA Chicago – $64,500 (2019-2022)
• Chicago Land Operators – $47,500 (2019-2022)
• Realtor PAC – $29,500 (2019-2022)
• SEIU IL IN PAC – $17,025 (2019-2022)
• Health Care Council of IL PAC – $20,000 (2021-2022)
• DoorDash, Inc. – $11,000 (2022)
• Chicago Federation of Labor PAC – $7,500 (2019-2021)

Notable donations given:

• Friends of Justin Slaughter – $26,500 (2022)
• Friends of Curtis Tarver II – $26,500 (2022)
• Friends of Joyce Mason – $23,000 (2022)

Positions on the issues:

• Education – Wants more CPS funding, including spending on affordable housing for all CPS students, nurses, librarians, social workers for all CPS schools; wants increased transparency in CPS budget, training for CPS principals, better teacher incentives
• Crime – Would fill 1,600 police vacancies, implement community-based racial bias and de-escalation training; wants increased transparency for law enforcement
• Economy – Self-proclaimed “pro-business progressive;” would fix pension issue with “progressive forms of revenue;” wants to close racial gap in city contracting; would establish Chicago CEO Council; wants to develop vocational and trade training programs with city, CPS, CCC and unions.

Roderick Sawyer

No notable endorsements

Notable donations received:

• SEIU IL Council PAC – $72,944.74 (2022)
• Ernest Sawyer Enterprises Inc. – $34,055 (2021)
• 6th Ward Democratic Organization – $32,837.20 (2022)
• AFSCME 31 – $31,600 (2021)
• Chicago for Rahm Emanuel – $25,000 (2019)

Notable donations given:

• Democratic Party of Cook County: $5,000 (2014-2020)
• Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus: $2,000 (2016-2022)
• Chicago Federation of Labor: $1,250 (2018-2022)
• Chicago Progressive Reform Caucus: $1,000 (2021)
• Paid State Board of Elections: $2,375 in civil penalties (2015-2018)

Positions on the issues:

• Education – co-sponsored elected school board as alderman; wants equitable resources for underserved schools.
• Crime – supports “treatment, not trauma,” “common-sense gun laws” and criminal justice reform
• Economy – Wants re-investment through reducing and changing TIF program; supported $15 minimum wage

Source for donation data: Illinois Sunshine