Chicago’s 2027 mayoral election is February 23. See the record, compare the field, and make a plan to vote.
Three reasons to pay attention
Every figure below is sourced to public reporting or official filings. Check the source yourself — that’s the point.
Mayor Johnson’s approval rating — the weakest of any modern Chicago mayor, with only 13.6% of voters saying they want him to run again.
Source: Illinois Policy summary of UChicago/NORC poll, July 2026
The incumbent’s cash on hand against the frontrunner’s — roughly 50-to-1.
Total city spending on the new-arrivals mission from August 2022 through December 2024 — while the budget bled red.
Last verified: October 2026. Figures update as new filings and polls land.
The case against a second term
Every claim on this site is sourced to public reporting. Read the full record — then decide.
Department heads, board picks, and senior staff — a pattern of controversial selections, forced exits, and patronage over competence.
Read the record →Big promises on transit safety. Years later, riders still don't feel safe on the trains — and the data backs them up.
Read the record →Sources: Streetsblog Chicago · Fox32
Dozens of schools operating far below capacity while CPS drowns in deficits — and a former CTU organizer who won't close a single one.
Read the record →Sources: Illinois Policy (CPS data) · Chalkbeat
His $300M property tax died 50–0. His budget got rewritten without him. The first mayoral veto in 19 years — on a teen curfew his council demanded.
Read the record →Sources: The Daily Line · Better Government Association
Three straight budget crises, a signature tax defeated at the ballot box, credit downgrades — and a $639.6M migrant tab while the budget bled.
Read the record →Sources: Better Government Association · Wall Street Journal · Inspector General
How we evaluate the claims
This site advocates against a second term for Brandon Johnson — openly. What it won’t do is blur the line between what happened, what we think it means, and what we believe. Every page labels which is which:
Verifiable numbers and events, sourced to primary documents or named reporting — with the source linked, not just asserted.
Our reading of the evidence — e.g., that a crowded field structurally helps an incumbent. Reasonable people can disagree.
The site’s point of view: Chicago shouldn’t give Johnson four more years. Stated as opinion, never dressed up as fact.
Corrections: if you spot an error, we want to know — see About / Contact. Factual claims are reviewed against sources each month; last reviewed September 2026. Read the full methodology →
The issues
Crime, taxes, schools, the CTA — how Chicago stacks up against the cities competing for its residents and jobs, and what falling behind costs. Eleven issues — plus the exodus — one verdict.
See the issues →The field
With nine-plus challengers splitting the vote, an unpopular incumbent can survive. The most important question isn't who you dislike — it's who can actually win.
We track every declared challenger: fundraising, record, and electability.
Meet the challengersPlus: the 15 aldermen who vote with him — the boot list →
The stakes
Crime policy, school finances, city taxes, the CTA — every major system in Chicago gets worse under continued mismanagement. This election is the off-ramp.
How to voteYour vote
Chicago's mayoral election is nonpartisan — every registered voter gets a say, no primary needed.
February 23, 2027
If one candidate wins a majority, it's over. If not, the top two advance.
April 6, 2027
Top two finishers face off. Turnout decides it.
Now
Check your registration, learn the field, and bring a neighbor.
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