Chicago mayor election: Who filed petitions to get on the ballot in the 2027 municipal elections?

Fifteen candidates have lined up to challenge Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in the 2027 municipal election, after filing nominating petitions with thousands of signatures in a bid to get on the ballot.

That number could drop in the coming weeks as many of those candidates are likely to face challenges to their petitions, and could be removed from the ballot before it is finalized in December.

On the last day to file petitions on Monday, outgoing Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, cardiologist Dr. Lisa Nee, attorney William Quinlan, businessman John Kitover, Chicago Flips Red co-founder Danielle Carter-Walters, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas, businessman Joe Holberg, real estate developer Zoe Ma, and Chicago Department of Transportation employee Jessica "Jesse" Maronto joined the fray to get on the ballot.

Also filing nominating petitions in the past week were Johnson, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, lobbyist John Kelly, Congressman Mike Quigley, former Chicago Housing Authority board chairman Matt Brewer, and businessman Willie Wilson.

By filing their petitions at the earliest opportunity on Oct. 19, Wilson, Kelly, Quigley, Brewer, and Giannoulias will be entered in a lottery to be listed first on the ballot. By waiting until the last minute, Carter-Walters, Pappas, Cardenas, Holberg, Ma, and Maronto will be entered in a lottery to be listed last on the ballot. Both the first and last spot on the ballot are seen as giving a candidate a slight edge, which even if minimal, in a crowded field could end up playing a pivotal role.

Candidates must file 12,500 valid signatures from registered Chicago voters to get on the ballot, and often file three to four times that amount to survive challenges.

Any objections to a candidate's petitions must be filed by Nov. 2, and the Chicago Board of Elections is scheduled to certify the ballot by Dec. 17. The mayoral election will be held on Feb. 23, with early voting starting and mail-in ballots going out on Jan. 14.

If no candidate for mayor gets a majority of the vote on Feb. 23, the top two candidates will face off in a runoff election on April 6. The new mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, all 50 members of the Chicago City Council, and the members of all 22 Chicago Police District Councils will be sworn in for their new terms on May 17.

Who is the incumbent, Brandon Johnson?

Chicago's current mayor, Brandon Johnson, officially kicked off his bid for a second term on Sunday, Sept. 13.  Johnson cast himself as the progressive in a crowded race for mayor. 

"Progress has been made, because this city is better, stronger, safer than what I inherited," Johnson said at the event.  

Johnson touted his accomplishments as mayor, from affordable housing to the city's historically low homicide rate. He also mentioned the city's response to federal agents during the immigration crackdown. 

Meanwhile, Johnson emphasized, tourism numbers have surged.

Johnson followed up with another post on social media, saying, "I'm here because I'm the only candidate who's fighting for working families. If you're ready for a safer and more affordable Chicago, then now is our time!"

A former Cook County Commissioner, former Chicago Public Schools teacher, and former Chicago Teachers Union organizer, Johnson won his first term with the backing of CTU, which contributed more than $2.4 million to his campaign.

CTU is expected to throw its support behind Johnson again in his re-election campaign.

Who are the mayor's challengers?

Matt Brewer

Brewer is a partner at the law firm Bartlit Beck, a co-owner of the iconic hot dog stand The Wiener's Circle, and a member of the Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. He's also a former chief executive officer and board chair of the CHA.

Brewer notably helped lead the CHA amid a monthslong dispute with Mayor Brandon Johnson over the authority's next CEO. 

Johnson demoted Brewer from his position as CHA board chair after the board installed Keith Pettigrew as CEO over the mayor's objections.

Brewer said his choice to run for mayor is not connected to his dispute with Johnson and is not a "spite campaign."

"During that time that I ran the CHA, and just my experiences in Chicago, increasingly, I've had hundreds of conversations with people who feel like they're not seen and heard, and that the city is not operating with them in mind," Brewer said.

Campaign website: mattbrewer.com

George Cardenas

Cardenas has been a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review, which handles taxpayer appeals of property assessments, since 2022. Before that, he served nearly 20 years on the Chicago City Council, representing the 12th Ward on the Southwest Side.

While on the Chicago City Council, Cardenas was an ally of former Mayors Lori Lightfoot, Rahm Emanuel, and Richard M. Daley. He served as Lightfoot's deputy floor leader at the time he resigned in 2022, helping usher her agenda through the City Council.

He said he's running his campaign with a focus on several issues, including fiscal discipline, public safety, and neighborhood investment.

"When city government is disorganized, families pay the price, and when fiscal controls are weak, neighborhoods will suffer," Cardenas said.

Campaign website: cardenas4chicago.com

Danielle Carter-Walters

Carter-Walters is a co-founder of the conservative group Chicago Flips Red. She has frequently criticized Johnson during public comment periods at City Council meetings, particularly over Chicago's sanctuary city policies. 

According to her campaign website, her platform states that "Rebuilding the middle class starts with safe streets, schools that teach, and a revitalized business and industrial base."

Website: dannicformayor.com

Alexi Giannoulias

Giannoulias announced his campaign for mayor of Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 2. He has been Illinois Secretary of State since 2023, overseeing the state's driver's licensing facilities and keeping the state's official records.

In announcing his candidacy before a cheering crowd on Sunday, Giannoulias invoked an image of Chicago as a city where hard work and sacrifice pay off. Unfortunately, Giannoulias said, many Chicagoans are finding such a life is no longer working.

"Housing costs continue to rise. Property taxes are straining family budgets. Parents can't afford child care. Families are worried about our streets being safe. Young people wonder whether they'll ever be able to buy their first home. Working families stretch every paycheck just to keep up," Giannoulias said. "But these aren't statistics. They're the real, everyday fears and worries of hardworking people who deserve government that works just as hard as they do."

Giannoulias has called for policies such as universal pre-K for Chicago's children, raising the minimum wage, and construction of housing that working Chicagoans can afford.  

He previously served as Illinois state treasurer from 2007 to 2011, serving as the state's chief investment officer and chief banking officer, overseeing the state's investment portfolio. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2010, but lost to Republican Mark Kirk.

Campaign website: alexiforchi.com

Joe Holberg

Holberg, an entrepreneur and former math teacher, is the founder and CEO of Spring, a wealth advisory firm that has since been acquired by Mariner.

A political newcomer, Holberg was the first candidate to announce a bid for mayor in the 2027 race when he kicked off his campaign last fall.

"I am running for Mayor of Chicago because I have a vision to turn our economic engine back on to encourage and support business growth, keep Chicago affordable by building more housing, balance the city's budget without mortgaging our future, and improve educational outcomes for all students across the city to prepare them for the jobs of the future," Holberg says on his campaign website.

Campaign website: joeforchicago.com

John Kelly

Kelly is a lobbyist who owns All-Circo Inc., and represents the Bally's casino currently under construction in Chicago.

He is also co-founder of Sentinel Security, a private security company.

According to his campaign website, he is running for mayor because he believes city government is broken.

"This is the result of a governing model that has spent fifteen years protecting a political machine rather than serving the people it was elected to represent. Every other candidate in this race has been part of that model. I have not. And that's why, as the next mayor, I plan to get Chicago back on track," Kelly said on his website.

Campaign website: johnkellyforchi.com

John Kitover

Kitover is a businessman and U.S. Army veteran who identifies himself as a Republican-Libertarian. He also ran for Congress in the 16th District in Illinois in the Republican primary, but was removed from the ballot for failing to gather enough valid signatures.

According to his campaign website, he believes the city should declare bankruptcy over its employee pension debt, saying "We cannot borrow and spend our way out of this crisis."

Campaign website: mayorkitover.com

Zoe Ma

Ma, a real estate developer, describes herself as a progressive candidate whose key campaign issues include increased budget transparency and accountability, homeowner and property tax reform, and tackling youth poverty.

On her website, Ma notes that she grew up in a working-class Muslim family in China in the 1970s and 1980s. She wrote that in the China of her childhood, "material poverty was widespread, yet opportunity often felt more equally distributed," with first-rate education.

"I came to this country 30 years ago with only $40 in my pocket by myself, and I built this American dream in the city of Chicago," Ma said on CBS News Chicago on Tuesday morning. "I think that opportunity should be available to everyone in the city, and no, people in the South Side and West Side have not been able to benefit from it, and that's why I'm bringing my campaign to highlight this equal opportunity for everybody in the city of Chicago." 

Ma touts a guaranteed income program as one of her top campaign priorities. On her campaign website, she wrote that such a program is not just about handing out money, but creating conditions that can lead to equal opportunity.

She pointed to a guaranteed income pilot program Chicago enacted in 2022 under Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Campaign website: zoeformayor.com

Jessica "Jesse" Maronto

Maronto is a traffic signal repairman for the Chicago Department of Transportation.

According to her campaign website, Maronto does not plan to actively campaign for mayor, saying "we're focusing our efforts on the projects and mission that will make an impact for Chicagoans."

Campaign website: marontoforchicago.com

Susana Mendoza

Mendoza has been the Illinois State Comptroller since 2017, serving as the state's chief fiscal order, responsible for managing the state's central accounts and handling payments into and out of the appropriate funds.

Before that, she was the Chicago City Clerk from 2011 to 2017, the first woman to serve in that role. She also previously served multiple terms in the Illinois House.

In launching her campaign in June, she soundly criticized incumbent Mayor Brandon Johnson.

"Chicago has tossed mayors out of office for blizzards, corruption and incompetence. Right now, Chicago's experiencing a blizzard of incompetence. We deserve better," Mendoza said.

Campaign website: susanamendoza.com

Lisa Nee

Nee, a cardiologist and public policy advisor, is also a whistleblower who once worked at Hines VA Hospital in Chicago, where she said she "uncovered serious failures in patient care, including a backlog of life-saving heart tests that had gone unread." 

Nee says she wants to bring accountability and results-driven leadership to Chicago. When asked about her lack of political background, Nee said it could be a benefit. 

"I think why I want to run for mayor is because I'm from Chicago," Nee said. "I love the city. I've been here my whole life, and I really want to lean in and do what's right for the people of the city." 

Campaign website: lisaneeforchicago.com

Maria Pappas

Pappas did not hold a formal campaign announcement, but told multiple reporters she was running before filing her nominating petitions on Oct. 26.

She has been Cook County treasurer for nearly 30 years, where she has been responsible for sending out and processing the county's property tax bills. She is currently running unopposed in the November election for treasurer.

Pappas won a seat as a commissioner on the Cook County Board in 1990. She served two terms representing the North Side and the North Shore suburbs on the County Board.

Pappas ran for Cook County Board President in 1994, but lost to John H. Stroger Jr. In 1998, Pappas was elected treasurer, while future U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley succeeded her on the County Board.

 She has not yet set up an official campaign website for her bid for mayor.

Mike Quigley

Quigley has served in Congress since 2009, representing the 5th Congressional District, which includes the North Side of Chicago and several northern and northwest suburbs. Before that, he served more than 20 years as a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

He officially launched his campaign for mayor in late June, after winning the Democratic primary for another term in Congress in March. He will face Republican Tommy Hanson in November in his bid for another term in Congress.

Back in January, Quigley told CBS News Chicago about his plans to run and explain why he wants the job. 

"Chicago is in crisis. I love this city. I've given most of my adult life to public service in Chicago. But I see it in a situation where someone has to lead at a time when there's a lack of leadership. Willingness to make extraordinarily difficult decisions; those are the kind of decisions I've made my entire public life," he said.

Campaign website: quigleyforchicago.com

Bill Quinlan

Bill Quinlan's online bio describes him as a seasoned attorney, having represented everyone from individual clients as pro-bono counsel to Fortune 500 companies. His bio credited him with playing a "pivotal" role in stabilizing leadership at the Chicago Public Schools, standing against "an unsustainable teachers' contract and risky financial deals."

Quinlan also serves as chairman of the Lawrence Hall youth social service agency, and has served as chair of the local school council at Lincoln Park High School.

Quinlan served as general counsel to Gov. Rod Blagojevich between 2005 and 2008, after Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges.

Quinlan said in a social media video announcing his run that "leadership" is currently missing from City Hall.

"People think of themselves. They think, how do they keep their job? How do they stay in office?" he said. "We are on the brink of financial collapse that was created by politicians that were worried about getting reelected."

Quinlan said he does not "owe anyone anything" and is not worried about winning points to get reelected.

Campaign website: quinlanforchicago.com

Willie Wilson

Wilson, a millionaire businessman is running for mayor for the fourth time, after failed bids in 2015, 2019, and 2023.

"A crime if I did not do it. You know, win, lose or draw, I win, because I'm out there to bring the truth out. I always tell people like, I'm not bought. I spend my own money, you know," Wilson said, "and I never think I lose. People say, 'Well, this is your fourth time.' I don't look at it that way," Wilson told CBS News Chicago political reporter Chris Tye.  

Wilson also launched a bid for president as a Democrat in 2016, and ran for U.S. Senate under the "Willie Wilson Party" banner in 2020.  

Wilson has become well-known for regularly giving away gas, groceries, and even cash to potential voters. In doing so, he has always dismissed any suggestions of a conflict of interest or the appearance he was trying to buy votes.  

Campaign website: williewilson2027.com