Keeping track of the actual and potential field for the February 28, 2023 mayoral election.
Petitions are now in and it remains to be seen which of these 11 candidates can survive signature challenges.
Updated Dec. 7, 2022
Those who have filed petitions (names in bold are having their petition signatures challenged):
- Lori Lightfoot, incumbent mayor
- Willie Wilson, entrepreneur/philanthropist
- Sophia King, 4th Ward alderman
- Roderick Sawyer, 6th Ward alderman
- Kam Buckner, Democratic state representative and chairman of the House Black Caucus.
- Paul Vallas, former Chicago Public Schools CEO
- Chuy Garcia, U.S. representative
- Brandon Johnson, Democratic Cook County commissioner
- Ja’Mal Green, activist
- Frederick Collins, Chicago police officer, former Republican U.S. congressional hopeful
- Johnny Logalbo, a truck driver for the Chicago Dept. of Aviation who also describes himself as a “”freelance counselor.”
WBEZ has thumbnails of each filed candidate here.
Those who were said or thought to be in the mix/considering a run but are not running:
- Mike Quigley, Democratic U.S. representative
- Arne Duncan, former U.S. education secretary
- Janice Jackson, former Chicago Public Schools CEO
- John Catanzara, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police chapter
- Bill Conway, a former prosecutor and naval intelligence officer
- Stacy Davis Gates, Chicago Teachers Union president
- Pat Dowell, 3rd Ward alderman
- Anna Valencia, City Clerk
- Tom Tunney, 44th Ward alderman
- Ray Lopez, 15th Ward alderman (was in, jumped out)
- Pat Quinn, former governor of Illinois
- Anthony Beale, 9th Ward alderman
- Melissa Conyears-Ervin, city treasurer
- La Shawn Ford, Democratic state representative
- Judy Frydland, former Chicago building commissioner
- Brian Hopkins, 2nd Ward alderman
- Martin Nesbitt, local business leader and chair of the Obama Foundation
- Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th Ward alderman
- Gery Chico, former board president for Chicago schools and parks
- Joe Ferguson, former city inspector general
- Susana Mendoza, Democratic state comptroller
- Jesse Sharkey, outgoing president of the Chicago Teachers Union
- Ald. David Moore, 17th
- Ald. Gil Villegas, 36th
- State Sen. Jacqueline Collins
- Karin Norington-Reaves
- Jonathan Swain
- Jahmal Cole.
Fourteen names appeared on the general election ballot for mayor in 2019 (Lightfoot, Mendoza, Wilson, Ford and Vallas along with Toni Preckwinkle, Bill Daley, Amara Enyia, Jerry Joyce, Gery Chico, Garry McCarthy, Bob Fioretti, John Kozlar and Neal Sáles-Griffin) .
