Incumbent
Who will win the Chicago mayoral election?
$30.4K
FEB 24, 2027
General Election
Voters choose the office holder.
Overview
Current roleMayor
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
Age50 years old (Mar 27, 1976)
GenderMale
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LocationIllinois
BackgroundPolitician
EducationAurora University — B.A., Human Services (Youth Development Programming and Management), 2004
Notable personal detailsBrandon Johnson is an American educator and Democratic politician who has served as the 57th mayor of Chicago since May 15, 2023. Before becoming mayor, he represented the 1st District on the Cook County Board of Commissioners (2018–2023) and worked for years in Chicago Public Schools as a social studies teacher and later as an organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Aurora University.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Advocates raising taxes on large corporations and the wealthy to fund expanded social services and public safety investments while avoiding higher property taxes for homeowners. Proposals include reinstating a corporate/employee “head tax,” taxes on social media and cloud computing, financial transaction and real-estate transfer (‘mansion’) taxes, and other targeted levies to generate hundreds of millions annually. These measures are presented as ways to shift revenue responsibility to wealthy individuals and large businesses to support working-class programs and city services.
Healthcare
Supports expanding access and affordability of healthcare, with specific emphasis on reopening city public mental-health clinics, increasing mental-health staffing and funding, and protecting/community health centers; actions include appointing a public health commissioner and partnering to expand healthcare training and facilities. Positions emphasize expanding government-provided public-health services rather than privatization or repeal of programs.
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Immigration & Border
Supports sanctuary protections and limits on local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, seeks to shield city-owned spaces from ICE activity, and advocates policies to assist immigrants and asylum seekers including legal defense and services.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate supports broad access to abortion and frames abortion as health care and a constitutional right. The candidate’s platform includes protecting and expanding reproductive health services, ensuring abortion and reproductive care are accessible and covered in city worker health plans, and funding clinics that provide abortion and contraception. The campaign commits to using city resources to protect abortion clinics and maintain or increase municipal funding for reproductive services.
Climate & Energy
Supports Green New Deal–style local policies, aggressive decarbonization of city operations and buildings, and large clean-energy investments including electrification of transit and a just transition for workers. Has pursued phasing out new natural gas hookups in new construction and advanced the city to run municipal buildings on 100% renewable electricity.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports aggressive efforts to remove illegal guns from Chicago (create an Illegal Guns Department, emphasize detectives and prosecutions) while investing in community-based violence prevention and CPD efficiency; calls for federal action to stop interstate gun trafficking and opposes militarized/federal occupation responses.
News
Brandon Johnson is in the news mainly for his handling of Chicago’s budget and policy fights. He says he will not consider school closings to close a projected Chicago Public Schools deficit and is pushing state lawmakers for new revenue, while also defending the city’s tipped wage phaseout and calling for reparations. He has not said whether he will run for reelection in 2027, and recent polling and fundraising reports show him facing weak favorability and trailing some possible challengers. He has also drawn criticism over stalled housing development and city public safety issues.
Mayor Johnson rules out school closings, mum on possible re-election bid
Chicago mayor facing unfavorable ratings
Politicians' fealty to unions makes housing crisis worse
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Calls for Reparations and Claims Restaurants Are Tied to Slavery in Bizarre Rant (VIDEO)
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising