Will Mayor Brandon Johnson run for re-election? Political organization plans "special announcement" on Sept. 13

While Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to announce whether he's running for re-election in 2027, his political organization is inviting supporters to a "special announcement" next month.

In an email to supporters this weekend, the "Brandon Johnson For Chicago" political organization told supporters they could "be part of history by joining us for a special announcement by the mayor on Sunday September 13th."

The announcement is scheduled for 4 p.m., about an hour after the Chicago Bears' season opener likely will end.

Political analyst Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman and retired University of Illinois Chicago political science professor, said the invitation likely indicates that Johnson is running for a second term.

"It's hard to tell when they don't put in the announcement what it's for, but I think this is probably the start of the Brandon Johnson campaign for mayor, officially," he said.

Johnson faces an uphill battle for re-election. A poll by the University of Chicago's Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation in July found his approval rating at just 23%, with only 13.6% of Chicagoans saying they're excited by another Johnson campaign.

Candidates for mayor began circulating nominating petitions earlier this month. At least nine candidates have announced plans to run for mayor in 2027, including Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley.

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas also has said she will run, but has yet to formally launch a campaign.

Businessman Willie Wilson, who has run for mayor three times before, also has launched a campaign, as have Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas, former Chicago Housing Authority CEO Matt Brewer, businessman Joe Holberg, cardiologist Lisa Nee, and businessman John Kelly.