The 2023 candidates for mayor of Chicago

Nine people are on the Feb. 28 ballot for mayor of Chicago, including Lori Lightfoot, who is aiming to land her second term after four years in office marked by crises and challenge, and eight others who are trying to unseat her.

The candidates include a multimillionaire businessman and a community activist, a congressman, two City Council members, a former schools chief, a state representative and a Cook County commissioner. They range in age from 27 to 74. Several have made previous runs at City Hall’s top job. Many have sought to show their progressives bona fides, others say they’d be tougher on crime — a dominant issue.

Early voting is underway. If no one gets more than 50% of the vote on Feb. 28, a runoff between the top two will take place April 4, with inauguration set for May.

Here’s a look at the nine candidates, one of whom will be running Chicago come spring. And click here for more about their stances on a wide range of issues posed in the Tribune’s candidate questionnaire.

Kam Buckner

Since joining the mayoral race, Buckner, a self-styled progressive Democrat, has been steadily rolling out policy proposals, including improving CTA service and safety, boosting the city’s environmental commitments, and filling vacancies at Chicago Police Department. Read more here.

Jesús ‘Chuy’ García

Born in Durango, Mexico, García was a young protegé of Latino community activist Rudy Lozano, who was a budding political star before he was killed by a gang member. With Harold Washington’s help, García won election as 22nd Ward Democratic committeeman in 1984. Garcia worked his way up to Congress over the following three decades. Read more here.

Ja’Mal Green

Ja’Mal Green is a community activist and entrepreneur who made a name for himself during the protests over the Chicago police murder of Laquan McDonald. He previously ran for mayor in 2019 until withdrawing amid a challenge to his signatures and remains the youngest candidate during this election cycle. Read more here.

Brandon Johnson

Brandon Johnson has served in the Cook County Board of Commissioners since 2018, when he defeated incumbent Richard Boykin in the 1st District that covers the western suburbs and West Side of Chicago. Johnson is the son of a pastor and worked as a social studies teacher at Edward Jenner Academy in Cabrini Green until 2010. Read more here.

Sophia King

Sophia King has represented the 4th Ward that stretches along the lakefront from the South Loop to Bronzeville since 2016, when she was appointed to replace Ald. Will Burns. She is the only woman challenging Lightfoot for the mayor’s seat in 2023 and is known for working to rename Lake Shore Drive to honor Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, the Black founder of Chicago as well as pushing for a minimum wage increase to $15. Read more here.

Lori Lightfoot

Mayor Lori Lightfoot shocked Chicago’s political establishment in 2019 when she defeated Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in a landslide. Much of her tenure has been spent leading the city through COVID-19 and dealing with high crime, which spiked dramatically in 2020. Read more here.

Roderick Sawyer

The son of Eugene Sawyer, the former alderman and mayor who took over after the death of Harold Washington, Rod Sawyer has represented the 6th ward on Chicago’s City Council since 2011. Before becoming alderman, Sawyer operated his own law firm focused mostly on licensing issues. Read more here.

Paul Vallas

A former City Hall insider who has campaigned as both an expert administrator and outside-the-box thinker, Paul Vallas rose to local prominence as Chicago Public Schools CEO, serving under Mayor Richard M. Daley. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002, losing to Rod Blagojevich in the Democratic primary, for lieutenant governor in 2016 losing alongside Pat Quinn to Bruce Rauner, and for mayor in 2019. Read more here.

Willie Wilson

Willie Wilson ran for mayor in 2015 and 2019; traveled the country as part of a long-shot campaign for president in 2016, where he appeared on the ballot in a handful of states; and challenged U.S. Senator Dick Durbin in 2020. Read more here.