Chicago Mayoral Election 2027: Who Are the Candidates So Far?

Chicago will hold its next mayoral election on Feb. 23, 2027, and the race is already heating up. Eight candidates have formally announced their campaigns, and more people are expected to join in the coming months. The list includes longtime Chicago politicians as well as total newcomers. Current Mayor Brandon Johnson has not yet said whether he will run again.

To get on the ballot, candidates must collect at least 12,500 signatures from Chicago voters. This process starts on July 28, and it can be very competitive — rivals can challenge each other's signatures to try to knock opponents off the ballot. If no single candidate wins more than 50% of the vote on Feb. 23, the top two finishers will face each other in a runoff election on April 6, 2027. The winner will be sworn in during May 2027.

Matthew Brewer used to lead the board of the Chicago Housing Authority, which is the third-largest public housing agency in the country. Mayor Johnson tried to remove him from that leadership role during a disagreement over who should run the agency. Brewer still serves on the board, but now he wants Johnson's job. He grew up on Chicago's South Side and has worked at top law firms. He also co-owns the well-known Wiener's Circle hot dog stand in Lincoln Park.

George Cardenas served for years as a Chicago alderman, which means he was a member of the City Council. He left that role in 2022 to become a Cook County Board of Review commissioner. Now he wants to move into the mayor's office. Cardenas says he has already studied the city's finances and knows how to make Chicago's government run more smoothly. He believes Chicago does not need to cut spending in order to balance its budget.

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley is a Democrat who has represented parts of Chicago's North and Northwest Sides since 2009. He first thought about running for mayor in 2019 and again in 2023, but now he is officially in the race. Before serving in Congress, he was a Cook County Commissioner from 1998 to 2009. Quigley has been critical of Mayor Johnson's economic plans and says the city should make budget cuts before asking taxpayers to pay more.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza handles the state's money and is now running for mayor. If she wins, she would be the first Latina mayor of Chicago. She previously served as Chicago's city clerk from 2011 to 2016 and spent ten years as a state lawmaker before that. Mendoza has been openly critical of Mayor Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union. She ran for mayor in 2019 as well, but that campaign ran into trouble.

Liam Stanton is a tech entrepreneur and a newcomer to politics. He has helped start and run several companies, including June Capital and Buoy. One of his main campaign promises is to pass a law that would limit how long Chicago politicians can stay in office. He is running as an outsider who wants to shake up the way City Hall works.

Joe Holberg was the very first person to announce he was running in this race. He is an entrepreneur and a former math teacher who describes himself as a political outsider. Holberg has spoken about overcoming tough challenges, including a time when he lived in his car while working his way through the University of Michigan. He says those hard experiences prepared him to take on difficult problems.

John Kelly has spent years as a lobbyist, meaning he gets paid to represent clients before government officials. His clients have included powerful figures in Illinois politics. He currently represents Bally's, the company that won Chicago's contract to open the city's first casino. That deal was made under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Lisa Nee is a heart doctor who is also running as a political outsider. She once reported problems she saw at a veterans' hospital to federal watchdogs after patients were denied proper care. She faced punishment for speaking out, but she testified before a U.S. Senate committee in 2015. Her testimony helped lead to a new federal law that protects VA whistleblowers, or people who report wrongdoing.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has not officially said he will seek a second term, telling reporters he is focused on running the city. Still, he has defended his record whenever people bring up his political future. During his time as mayor, he has pointed to a drop in gun violence, the reopening of three city mental health clinics, and his pushback against President Donald Trump's policies. His progressive candidacy caught fire thanks to a coalition of activists and left-leaning unions, including the Chicago Teachers Union, where he used to work as an organizer.

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has said she plans to run for mayor, but she has not made it official yet. She is currently focused on winning reelection to her treasurer role and hosts a popular radio segment that helps people with property tax questions. Pappas has held elected office in Cook County since 1998 and is known for being bold and outspoken. However, a long and costly problem with a technology contractor may raise questions about her management skills.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has not announced a mayoral campaign, but many people expect him to run. He is currently seeking reelection as secretary of state. If he joins the mayor's race, he is expected to raise a lot of money, thanks in part to support from wealthy donors in Chicago's business and real estate communities. Giannoulias previously served as Illinois state treasurer and ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2010 but lost that race.

Businessman and pastor Willie Wilson is no stranger to Chicago elections — this would be his fourth run for mayor. Wilson grew up in Louisiana as the son of a sharecropper and left home as a child with very little education. He later built a successful medical supply company and is well known in Chicago for his charity work, including giving away free gas to help people dealing with high prices. Wilson has started an exploratory committee and loaned his campaign some money, but he has not made his run official yet.