2019 Chicago mayoral election

2019 Chicago mayoral election
← 2015 February 26, 2019 (first round)
April 2, 2019 (runoff)		 2023 →
Turnout35.20% Decrease 5.78 pp[1][2] (first round)
32.89% Decrease 2.31 pp[3][4] (second round)
 
Candidate Lori Lightfoot Toni Preckwinkle Bill Daley
First round 97,667
17.54% 		89,343
16.04% 		82,294
14.78%
Runoff 386,039
73.70% 		137,765
26.30% 		Eliminated
 
Candidate Willie Wilson Susana Mendoza Amara Enyia
First round 59,072
10.61% 		50,373
9.05% 		44,589
8.00%
Runoff Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated
 
Candidate Jerry Joyce Gery Chico Paul Vallas
First round 40,099
7.20% 		34,521
6.20% 		30,236
5.43%
Runoff Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated
Second round results by ward:
Lightfoot:      54–59%      59–64%      64–69%      69–74%      74–79%      79–84%      84–88%
Mayor before election

Rahm Emanuel

 Elected Mayor

Lori Lightfoot

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The 2019 Chicago mayoral election was held on February 26, 2019, to determine the next Mayor of the City of Chicago, Illinois. Since no candidate received a majority of votes, a runoff election was held on April 2, 2019, between the two candidates with the most votes, Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle.[5] Lightfoot defeated Preckwinkle in the runoff election to become mayor,[6] and was sworn in as mayor on May 20, 2019.[7]

The election was officially non-partisan, with its winner being elected to a four-year term. The elections were part of the 2019 Chicago elections, which included elections for City Council, City Clerk, and City Treasurer.

Incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel initially announced he would run for a third term but withdrew in September 2018.[8] Emanuel was first elected in 2011 (winning in the first round with 55.19% of the vote) and re-elected in 2015 (receiving 55.7% of the vote in the runoff election).

The runoff was historic, as it assured Chicago would elect its first African-American female mayor, its second elected African-American Mayor, after Harold Washington, and its second female mayor, after Jane Byrne.[9] Not only is Lightfoot the first African-American woman mayor in Chicago's history, but she is also the first openly LGBT person to lead Chicago. Lightfoot's election made Chicago the largest city won by an African American woman, as well as the largest by an openly LGBT person, in United States history.[10][11]

Campaign[edit]

First round[edit]

Incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel declared his intent to seek re-election on October 17, 2017.[12] One month later, Troy LaRaviere became the first opponent to declare their intent to run against Emanuel.[13]

Later, in 2018, more opponents would declare their intent to run against Emanuel, with Garry McCarthy and Willie Wilson doing so in March,[14][15] Dorothy A. Brown Cook, Ja'Mal Green, and Neal Sáles-Griffin doing so in April,[16][17] Lori Lightfoot, John Kozlar, and Paul Vallas doing so in May,[18][19] Matthew Rooney doing so in June,[20] and Amara Enyia and Jerry Joyce doing so in August.[21][22] By the end of the Summer of 2018, a dozen individuals had declared their candidacies.[23]

On September 4, 2018, Emanuel announced that he would no longer be seeking re-election.[24] Emanuel's announcement shook up the race, with many new candidates declaring their candidacies for mayor in the weeks that followed.[25]

In late November, much of the media coverage on the race showed Toni Preckwinkle and Susana Mendoza (both of whom had entered the race after Emanuel bowed out) to be considered its two frontrunners.[26][27][28]

The race for mayor was upended by Alderman Ed Burke's corruption scandal. Mayoral candidates Toni Preckwinkle, Susana Mendoza, Gery Chico, and Bill Daley all had connections to the disgraced alderman, and the scandal encouraged an anti-corruption and anti-machine politics sentiment among voters.[29][30][31]

A number of issues were debated by the candidates throughout the campaign. One of the major issues was pensions, as the city's annual pensions contribution had been projected to double between 2018 and 2023.[32] Another issue was education, where sub-issues included school closings that had taken place under the Emanuel administration and the possibility of reforming the school-board selection method.[32] Another issue was crime.[32] Particularly in light of cases such as the murder of Laquan McDonald, issues regarding practices by the city's law enforcement were also discussed by candidates.[32] Another issue was the use of tax increment financing by the city.[32] Affordable housing was another issue debated.[32] Ethics reforms were also debated.[32] Taxes were another issue debated, with some candidates advocating for a commuter tax and some candidates advocating for a property tax freeze.[33]

After ballot challenges were settled, a total of fourteen candidates were included on the ballot for the first round of the election. This is the most candidates that have ever been on the ballot in the history of Chicago mayoral elections.[34][35][36]

The first round of the election was considered highly competitive to the end, with a number of candidates shown by polls to be viable contenders to potentially advance to the run off. For example, a poll conducted February 11–13 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. for the media outlets Telemundo/NBC 5 Chicago illustrated what the outlets described as a tight five-way race between (in alphabetical order) Chico, Daley, Lightfoot, Mendoza, and Preckwinkle.[37] On February 24, The Wall Street Journal described the race's polling as showing six candidates with the possibility of making the runoff, with the five strongest contenders being described as (in alphabetical order) Chico, Daley, Lightfoot, Mendoza, and Preckwinkle.[38] Also on February 24, Chicago magazine wrote that it considered six individuals to have a chance of making the runoff, with those individuals being (in alphabetical order) Chico, Daley, Lightfoot, Mendoza, Preckwinkle, and Wilson.[39]

In the first round, Lori Lightfoot placed first and Toni Preckwinkle placed second, securing them both a spot in the runoff election.

Lightfoot's first-place finish in the first round was regarded to be an upset.[40][41][42] She was seen as a long-shot when she first entered the race.[25] In late-January, Lightfoot's support in publicly released polls had only ranged between 2% and 5%.[43][44][45][46] Despite her low poll numbers in January, Lightfoot had persisted in her campaign, performing well in debates and running some ads on television.[40] She won the endorsement of the Chicago Sun-Times.[40] She also garnered new personal endorsements, including those of the Scott Waguespack, David Orr, and Robin Kelly, of whom the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Brown would later write in exploring the contributing factors to Lightfoot's first-round victory, "none of them heavyweights but influential enough to point the way for progressive voters looking for some sign, any sign, of how to pick their way through the thicket of candidates."[40] While Lightfoot rose to the top of some polls near the end of the race, she had peaked in support so late in the race that none of the other candidates had been focused on running negative ads against her.[40] Lightfoot also was seen as ultimately benefiting from the Burke corruption scandal, as she was running as a "political outsider" on an anti-corruption platform.[25][47][48] Preckwinkle's allies had also, accidentally, provided Lightfoot with free media attention on two noteworthy occasions. The first incident occurred February 18, when one of Lightfoot's press conferences was crashed by Preckwinkle ally Robert Martwick, with whom Lightfoot got into a heated exchange.[49] The second incident where Preckwinkle's camp generated free headlines for Lightfoot was when, days before the first round of the election, her campaign manager, Scott Cisek, published a Facebook post likening Lightfoot to a Nazi, leading to his firing by the Preckwinkle campaign.[50]

In Chicago, ethnic/racial coalitions had often played a key role in elections. As such, many of the candidates were seen as targeting different groups with their campaigns.[48] Hispanic candidates Gery Chico and Susana Mendoza were seen as vying for the Hispanic vote.[48] Toni Preckwinkle and Willie Wilson were seen as targeting the black vote.[48][51] Bill Daley was seen as targeting the white vote.[48] Lightfoot was seen as breaking the rules of traditional Chicago politics by not basing her candidacy on seeking the support of particular ethnic/racial groups.[48]

Runoff[edit]

Throughout the runoff, Lightfoot led Preckwinkle in polls.

For the runoff, Lightfoot received endorsements from seven of the twelve candidates that had been eliminated in the first round (Gery Chico, Jerry Joyce, John Kozlar, Susana Mendoza, Neal Sales-Griffin, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson). Preckwinkle, in contrast, received no endorsements from any candidates that had been eliminated in the first round.[52]

In what was considered a "sweep" of the city's major publications,[53] retaining her endorsement from the Chicago Sun-Times,[54] for the runoff, Lightfoot also received the endorsements of the Chicago Tribune[55] and Crain's Chicago Business[56] (both of which had endorsed Bill Daley in the first round).[57][58]

Both Lightfoot and Preckwinkle positioned themselves as self-declared, "progressives".[59] In a November 2019 retrospective, however, Edward McClelland of Chicago magazine wrote, "Lightfoot didn’t run as a progressive. She ran as a reformer, the political outsider who promised to quash the Chicago Way, as exemplified by Alderman Ed Burke and all the mayoral candidates who took his money. (Lightfoot's opponent, Toni Preckwinkle, ran as a progressive, but not a reformer.)"[60]

In the runoff, Preckwinkle highlighted her depth of government experience and sought to emphasize a contrast with Lightfoot's lack of experience in elected office.[61] Lightfoot criticized Preckwinkle's connections with controversial figures such as Ed Burke and Joseph Berrios.[61]

The two candidates differed on rent control, with Preckwinkle seeking the repeal of a state law prohibiting local governments from imposing rent control, while Lightfoot did not advocate for rent control in Chicago.[62] The candidates differed on prospective term limits, with Preckwinkle opposing them, and Lightfoot advocating limiting both mayoral tenures and City Council committee chairmanships to two terms.[62] Preckwinkle sought to create a ban on aldermen holding outside jobs, while Lightfoot differed, instead preferring to only ban them from holding outside jobs that pose conflicts of interest with official their duties.[62] Preckwinkle wanted the power to draw ward maps to remain in the hands of the City Council, while Lightfoot wanted a non-partisan and independent process to be created for redistricting.[62] Preckwinkle defended retaining the practice of "aldermanic prerogative", while Lightfoot sought to bring an end to the practice.[62] The candidates also differed on whether they would retain incumbent Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department Eddie T. Johnson, with Preckwinkle having stating that she planned to immediately dismiss Johnson of his post, while Lightfoot stated that she planned to retain him at least through the summer of 2019.[61]

Lightfoot ultimately won a landslide victory in the runoff.

Candidates[edit]

In order to be listed on the ballot, candidates were required to submit petitions between November 19 and 26.[63][64]

Mayoral candidates at a forum at the Copernicus Center in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood, December 2018

Any certified candidate (those whose petitions had been certified by the Board of Elections) may have had their nomination papers challenged up until December 1.[64] Those candidates with properly-filed challenges against their petitions would have their candidature subjected to hearings and procedures which would assess the validity of their petitions.[64] If any candidate failed to file a statement of economic interests within five days of having their petition certified, then their certification would be revoked.[64]

The deadline to file a notarized declaration of intent to be a write–in candidate was December 27, 2018.[64][65] An exception to the December 27 deadline for write-in candidates to file their declaration of intent existed for circumstances in which a candidate lost their certification after the December 27 deadline due to the outcome of a challenge to their petitions (candidates in this circumstance were granted until February 19 to file a notarized declaration of intent to run as a write-in candidate).[64]

Certified candidates (those whose petitions had been certified by the Board of Elections) were permitted to have their name removed from the ballot if they officially withdrew any time before December 20, 2018.[64][65] Even if they informally withdrew by ceasing to campaign, all certified candidates that did not file to formally withdraw before the December 20 deadline would have their names listed on the ballot regardless of whether they were still active contenders.[65] However, after December 20 candidates still may have filed to officially withdraw, an action which would have instructed the Board of Elections to deem all votes cast for the candidates as invalid when tallying votes.[64]

Due to the time needed to complete process of reviewing nearly 200 challenges to candidate petitions in the mayoral race and other municipal elections, the start of the early voting period for the first round had been delayed to January 29 from its previously scheduled January 17 date.[66][67][68]

The total of fourteen candidates on the February mayoral ballot is record-setting for Chicago mayoral elections.[34][35][36]

Candidates who advanced to runoff[edit]

Candidate Experience Announced Ref
The following candidates advanced to the runoff election held on April 2 [69][70]

Lori Lightfoot 		Former President of the Chicago Police Board 2015–2018

Chair of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force

May 10, 2018

(Website Archived January 17, 2019, at the Wayback Machine) 		[71][13][72][73][74]

Toni Preckwinkle 		President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners since 2010
Former Alderman from the 4th ward 1991–2010 		September 20, 2018

(Website Archived January 17, 2019, at the Wayback Machine) 		[63][72][75][76]

Candidates eliminated in the first round[edit]

Candidate Experience Announced Ref
The following candidates were eliminated in the first round, and did not advance to the runoff election

Gery Chico 		Chair of the Illinois State Board of Education 2011–2015
President of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners 2007–2010
President of the Chicago Board of Education 1995–2001 		September 17, 2018

(Website Archived January 19, 2019, at the Wayback Machine) 		[69][77][78][79][80][81]

Bill Daley 		White House Chief of Staff 2011–2012
United States Secretary of Commerce 1997–2000 		September 14, 2018

(Website) 		[69][82][83][84][85]

Amara Enyia 		Director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce August 28, 2018

(Website) 		[71][72][86][21][87]

Bob Fioretti 		Former Alderman from the 2nd Ward 2007–2015 November 26, 2018

(Website Archived January 19, 2019, at the Wayback Machine) 		[88][89][90][91][92]

La Shawn Ford 		Member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2007 November 12, 2018

(Website) 		[93][94][95][96][97][98]

Jerry Joyce 		Former Assistant State's Attorney August 29, 2018

(Website Archived January 17, 2019, at the Wayback Machine) 		[63][72][22]

John Kozlar 		Candidate for Alderman from the 11th Ward in 2011 and 2015 May 30, 2018

(Website Archived August 12, 2020, at the Wayback Machine) 		[71][99]

Garry McCarthy 		Former Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department 2011–2015 March 21, 2018

(Website) 		[69][77][100][101]

Susana Mendoza 		Illinois Comptroller since 2016
City Clerk of Chicago 2011–2016
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives 2001–2011 		November 14, 2018

(Website) 		[71][72][102][103][104]

Neal Sáles-Griffin 		CEO of CodeNow March 11, 2018

(Website Archived January 17, 2019, at the Wayback Machine) 		[71][17][105]

Paul Vallas 		Former Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools 1995–2001 March 28, 2018

(Website) 		[63][18][106]

Willie Wilson 		Businessman
Owner of Omar Medical Supplies 		March 29, 2018

(Website Archived January 17, 2019, at the Wayback Machine) 		[63][14]

Write-in candidates[edit]

A full list of eligible write-ins was made available to precincts on election day.[107]

Petitions rejected[edit]

The following candidates had been denied inclusion on the ballot following successful challenges to their petitions:[69][70][125]

Withdrew[edit]

The following individuals are previously declared candidates who had terminated their candidacies. Unless otherwise indicated, these individuals did not submit petitions:

Declined[edit]

The following were prospective and speculative candidates that declined to run:

Endorsements[edit]

First round[edit]

Gery Chico
Local officeholders
Bill Daley
Officeholders
Individuals
Editorial boards
Organizations
  • Plumbers Local Union 130[186]
Amara Enyia
Officeholders
Individuals
Jerry Joyce
Officeholders
Lori Lightfoot
Officeholders
Individuals
Editorial boards
Organizations
Garry McCarthy
Officeholders
Susana Mendoza
State officeholders
Individuals
Editorial boards
Organizations
Toni Preckwinkle
U.S. Executive Branch officials
Members of Congress
State officeholders
County officeholders
Local officeholders
Individuals
Editorial boards
Organizations
Paul Vallas
Individuals
Organizations
Willie Wilson
Officeholders
Organizations

Runoff[edit]

Lori Lightfoot
Members of Congress
State officeholders
Local officeholders
Individuals
Editorial boards/publishers
Organizations
Toni Preckwinkle
U.S. Executive Branch officials
Members of Congress
State officeholders
County officeholders
Local officeholders
Individuals
Editorial boards
Organizations

Fundraising[edit]

First round[edit]

Campaign finance reports as of February 25, 2019
Candidate Total receipts
Bill Daley $8,746,398.81
Toni Preckwinkle $4,621,770.23
Gery Chico $3,043,467.45
Jerry Joyce $2,796,317.32
Susana Mendoza $2,788,787.02
Lori Lightfoot $1,620,123.65
Willie Wilson $1,619,088.16
Garry McCarthy $1,391,426.80
Paul Vallas $1,128,992.78
Robert Fioretti $716,729.31
Amara Enyia $654,771.31
Neal Sales-Griffin $153,781.73
LaShawn Ford $96,907.58
John Kozlar $1,014.00
[309]

Runoff[edit]

Note that following totals include the amount raised in both rounds of the election

Campaign finance reports as of April 7, 2019
Candidate Total receipts
Toni Preckwinkle $7,114,662.62
Lori Lightfoot $5,773,302.07
[310]

Polling[edit]

First round[edit]

Graph of select polls

Only showing polls by more-established polling sources: ALG Research, Change Research, David Binder Research, Global Strategy Group, Lake Research Partners, Mason Dixon, Ogden & Fry, RABA Research, Public Policy Polling, Tulchin Research, Victory Research, We Ask America

Graph of all polls
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Dorothy
Brown Cook 		Gery
Chico 		Bill
Daley 		Amara
Enyia 		Bob
Fioretti 		La Shawn
Ford 		Jerry
Joyce 		John
Kozlar 		Lori
Lightfoot 		Garry
McCarthy 		Susana
Mendoza 		Toni
Preckwinkle 		Neal
Sales-Griffin 		Paul
Vallas 		Willie
Wilson 		Undecided Other
Change Research[311] February 22–23, 2019 706 ±3.7% – 9% 14% 4% 2% 1% 8% 0% 14% 5% 10% 14% 1% 6% 9% – –
L2T Research & Survey (Vallas)[312] February 21, 2019 8,700 – – – 10.16% – – – – – – – 6.29% 8.64% – 10.75% – 64.17% –
Joyce campaign-sponsored poll[313] February 14–15, 2019 – – – 11% 11% – – – 10% – 18% – 11% 14% – – 12% – –
Independent poll[314] February 12–14, 2019 – – – 14% 15% – – – – – 14% – 10% 12% – – – – –
Mason Dixon[315] February 11–13, 2019 – ±4.0% – 9% 13% 7% 1% 1% 4% 0% 10% 3% 12% 14% 1% 2% 4% 19% –
Tulchin Research[316][317] February 6–10, 2019 500 (LV) ±4.38 – 5% 10% 8% – 1% – – 9% 5% 10% 21% – 7% 11% 13% –
Ogden & Fry[318] February 9, 2019 716 ±3.74% – 7.1% 11.9% – – – – – – – 5.7% 16.1% – – 13.3% 25.6% 20.4%
Campaign-sponsored poll[319] – – – – 11% 14% 7% – – – – 7% – 7% 16% – – – – –
Victory Research[43] January 26–29, 2019 801 ±3.46% – 8.4% 13.9% 2.0% 6.1% 1.1% 1.0% 0.5% 4.1% 5.1% 12.4% 11.5% 0.0% 5.6% 12.2% 16.1% –
We Ask America[44][45] January 21–23, 2019 644 ±3.5% 4̶.̶7̶%̶ 9.3% 12.1% 3.1% 0.9% 1.2% 0.9% 0.6% 2.8% 3.7% 8.7% 12.7% 0.0% 4.3% 9% – –
David Binder Research[46] January 19–21, 2019 500 ±4.4% – 4% 9% 5% – – – – 5% 4% 9% 15% – 4% 6% 34% –
Global Strategy Group[320][321] (Mendoza) January 10–15, 2019 600 ±4.0% – – 9% – – – – – – – 11% 11% – – – – –
David Binder Research[46] December 12–16, 2018 500 ±4.4% – 1% 10% 6% – – – – 5% 6% 11% 24% – 7% 6% 19% –
Lake Research Partners[322] December 11–16, 2018 600 ±4.0% 4% 5% 10% 7% 1% 1% – – 5% 7% 12% 18% – 6% 6% 19% –
Tulchin Research[323] December 10–16, 2018 600 ±4.0% – 3% 10% 6% – 2% – – 3% 8% 12% 22% – 10% 7% 19% –
ALG Research[324][325][326] December 4–9, 2018 600 – 6% 3% 9% 5% – – – – 4% 7% 16% 21% – 6% 8% – –
4% 4% 12% 4% – – – – 3% 6% 20% 22% – – 7% – –
Global Strategy Group[327][328] November 8–11, 2018 – ±4.0% – – 16% – – – – – – 8% 24% 19% – 7% 9% – –
– – 9% – – – – – – 7% 13% 15% – 6% 8% – –

Runoff[edit]

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Lori
Lightfoot 		Toni
Preckwinkle 		Undecided
Temkin/Harris with Normington, Petts & Associates[336][337][338] March 18–20, 2019 500 ±4.4% 53% 17% 29%
Jason McGrath (Lightfoot)[282] February 28 – March 3, 2019 799 ±3.5% 59% 29% –
FM3[339][340][341][342] February 27–28, 2019 400 (LV) ±4.9% 58% 30% 12%
Change Research[311] February 22–23, 2019 706 ±3.7% 42% 25% –
Ward poll(s)

The following are runoff polls limited to voters in a single ward:

Ward Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Lori
Lightfoot 		Toni
Preckwinkle 		Undecided
2nd Poll for Brian K. Hopkins aldermanic campaign[343] Mid-March 2019 68% 20% –

Hypothetical runoff polling[edit]

Dorothy Brown Cook vs. Rahm Emanuel
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Dorothy
Brown Cook 		Rahm
Emanuel 		Undecided
Public Policy Polling[332] August 2018 722 ±7.0% 26% 43% 31%
Gery Chico vs. Susana Mendoza
with Gery Chico and Susana Mendoza
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Gery
Chico 		Susana
Mendoza
ALG Research[324] December 4–9, 2018 600 – 23% 58%
Bill Daley vs. Lori Lightfoot
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Bill
Daley 		Lori
Lightfoot 		Undecided
Change Research[311] February 22–23, 2019 706 ±3.7% 35% 40% 25%
Bill Daley vs. Susana Mendoza
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Bill
Daley 		Susana
Mendoza
ALG Research[324] December 4–9, 2018 600 – 29% 56%
32% 56%
Global Strategy Group[332] November 8–11, 2018 600 ±4.0% 29% 47%
21% 55%
Bill Daley vs. Toni Preckwinkle
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Bill
Daley 		Toni
Preckwinkle 		Undecided
Change Research[311] February 22–23, 2019 706 ±3.7% 39% 32% –
Tulchin Research[317] February 6–10, 2019 500 (LV) ±4.38 38% 50% 12%
We Ask America[344] January 10–15, 2019 644 ±4.0% 40.1% 38.2% 21.7%
Tulchin Research[323] December 10–16, 2018 600 ±4.0% 31% 49% 20%
ALG Research[324] December 4–9, 2018 600 – 32% 51%
– 34% 50%
Susana Mendoza v. Gery McCarthy
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Susana
Mendoza 		Garry
McCarthy 		Undecided
We Ask America[344] January 10–15, 2019 644 ±4.0% 54% 24.2% 21.7%
Susana Mendoza vs. Toni Preckwinkle
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Susana
Mendoza 		Toni
Preckwinkle 		Undecided
Tulchin Research[317] February 6–10, 2019 500 (LV) ±4.38 39% 46% 18%
We Ask America[344] January 10–15, 2019 644 ±4.0% 43.5% 35.1% 21.4%
Global Strategy Group[320] January 10–15, 2019 600 ±4.0% 43% 30%
Tulchin Research[323] December 10–16, 2018 600 ±4.0% 39% 42% 19%
ALG Research[324][325][326] December 4–9, 2018 600 – 45% 39%
44% 44% 12%
Global Strategy Group[332] November 8–11, 2018 600 ±4.0% 47% 35%
39% 34%
Rahm Emanuel vs. Lori Lightfoot
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Rahm
Emanuel 		Lori
Lightfoot 		Undecided
Public Policy Polling[332] August 2018 722 38% 33% 20%
Jason McGrath (Lightfoot) [335] July 7–9, 2018 800 ±0% 40% 50% –
Rahm Emanuel vs. Garry McCarthy
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Rahm
Emanuel 		Garry
McCarthy 		Undecided
Public Policy Polling[332] August 2018 722 38% 37% 25%
Rahm Emanuel vs. Paul Vallas
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Rahm
Emanuel 		Paul
Vallas 		Undecided
Public Policy Polling[332] August 2018 722 33% 39% 28%
Global Strategy Group[333] July 22–29, 2018 600 ±4% 44% 37% –

Other polling[edit]

If Rahm Emanuel were running for re-election, would you vote for him?
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Yes No Undecided
Temkin/Harris with Normington, Petts & Associates[336][337][338] March 18–20, 2019 500 ±4.4% 25% 63% 12%

Results[edit]

First round[edit]

2019 Chicago mayoral election results (first round)
Non-partisan election[1][2]
Candidate Votes %
Lori Lightfoot 97,667 17.54
Toni Preckwinkle 89,343 16.04
William M. Daley 82,294 14.78
Willie L. Wilson 59,072 10.61
Susana A. Mendoza 50,373 9.05
Amara Enyia 44,589 8.01
Jerry Joyce 40,099 7.20
Gery Chico 34,521 6.20
Paul Vallas 30,236 5.43
Garry McCarthy 14,784 2.65
La Shawn K. Ford 5,606 1.01
Robert "Bob" Fioretti 4,302 0.77
John Kenneth Kozlar 2,349 0.42
Neal Sales-Griffin 1,523 0.27
Roger L. Washington write-in 47 0.01
Tamara McCullough AKA Tamar Manasseh write-in 11 0.00
Catherine Brown D'Tycoon write-in 7 0.00
Stephen Hodge write-in 7 0.00
Ja'Mal Green write-in 6 0.00
Daniel Fein write-in 3 0.00
Ryan Friedman write-in 2 0.00
Richard Benedict Mayers write-in 2 0.00
Robert A. Palmer write-in 1 0.00
Total votes 556,844

Results by ward[edit]

First round results by ward

Seven candidates each had pluralities in at least one of the city's fifty wards.[2][345][346][347][348]

Of the city's eighteen wards that are predominantly black, Wilson carried a plurality of the vote in thirteen (Wards 6, 7, 9, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 28, 29, 34, and 37) with Preckwinkle carrying a plurality of the vote in the remaining five (Wards 3, 4, 5, 8, and 27).[349] In the combined vote of the city's predominately black wards, Wilson placed first, Preckwinkle placed second, Lightfoot placed third, Daley placed fourth, and Enyia placed fifth.[349]

  Chico   Daley   Joyce   Lightfoot   Mendoza   Preckwinkle   Wilson

Results by ward[2]
Ward Chico Daley Enyia Fioretti Ford Joyce Kolzar Lightfoot McCarthy Mendoza Preckwinkle Sales-Griffin Vallas Wilson Total
votes 		Turnout
%
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
1 637 5.12% 1,617 13.01% 1,749 14.07% 101 0.81% 78 0.63% 427 3.43% 84 0.68% 3,198 25.73% 229 1.84% 1,338 10.76% 2,020 16.25% 46 0.37% 556 4.47% 351 2.82% 12,431 33.72%
2 612 4.47% 3,871 28.27% 875 6.39% 90 0.66% 64 0.47% 522 3.81% 76 0.55% 3,088 22.55% 408 2.98% 1,014 7.40% 1,630 11.90% 58 0.42% 1,025 7.49% 361 2.64% 13,694 34.24%
3 492 3.64% 1,808 13.36% 1,290 9.53% 166 1.23% 142 1.05% 396 2.93% 44 0.33% 2,457 18.16% 177 1.31% 668 4.94% 3,097 22.88% 45 0.33% 530 3.92% 2,221 16.41% 13,533 35.90%
4 361 2.51% 1,331 9.27% 1,600 11.14% 154 1.07% 180 1.25% 258 1.80% 34 0.24% 2,865 19.95% 130 0.91% 592 4.12% 4,520 31.47% 55 0.38% 415 2.89% 1,867 13.00% 14,362 39.82%
5 247 1.85% 1,094 8.19% 1,514 11.33% 54 0.40% 144 1.08% 195 1.46% 14 0.10% 2,804 20.99% 81 0.61% 414 3.10% 4,599 34.43% 51 0.38% 346 2.59% 1,802 13.49% 13,359 42.04%
6 257 2.48% 833 8.04% 965 9.31% 59 0.57% 200 1.93% 215 2.07% 8 0.08% 1,522 14.69% 74 0.71% 278 2.68% 2,611 25.20% 27 0.26% 218 2.10% 3,095 29.87% 10,362 31.70%
7 350 3.39% 904 8.76% 1,076 10.42% 59 0.57% 152 1.47% 193 1.87% 13 0.13% 1,492 14.45% 87 0.84% 448 4.34% 2,505 24.26% 43 0.42% 255 2.47% 2,748 26.62% 10,325 32.14%
8 368 2.67% 1,280 9.28% 1,457 10.57% 75 0.54% 245 1.78% 294 2.13% 14 0.10% 2,035 14.76% 86 0.62% 434 3.15% 3,639 26.39% 51 0.37% 307 2.23% 3,504 25.41% 13,789 36.80%
9 369 3.19% 1,042 9.01% 1,078 9.32% 85 0.74% 157 1.36% 256 2.21% 11 0.10% 1,641 14.19% 87 0.75% 352 3.04% 2,638 22.82% 40 0.35% 296 2.56% 3,510 30.36% 11,562 31.86%
10 1,952 23.07% 1,073 12.68% 346 4.09% 73 0.86% 28 0.33% 644 7.61% 31 0.37% 537 6.35% 519 6.13% 1,561 18.45% 583 6.89% 14 0.17% 544 6.43% 556 6.57% 8,461 31.47%
11 726 6.88% 3,808 36.10% 681 6.46% 65 0.62% 32 0.30% 998 9.46% 275 2.61% 1,210 11.47% 541 5.13% 660 6.26% 815 7.73% 15 0.14% 483 4.58% 239 2.27% 10,548 37.27%
12 887 15.02% 983 16.64% 466 7.89% 34 0.58% 26 0.44% 444 7.52% 43 0.73% 481 8.14% 231 3.91% 1,450 24.55% 498 8.43% 19 0.32% 191 3.23% 154 2.61% 5,907 28.97%
13 1,866 14.86% 2,078 16.54% 349 2.78% 114 0.91% 20 0.16% 2,634 20.97% 52 0.41% 609 4.85% 757 6.03% 2,481 19.75% 511 4.07% 17 0.14% 786 6.26% 287 2.28% 12,561 44.30%
14 1,271 17.46% 1,148 15.77% 358 4.92% 65 0.89% 7 0.10% 1,007 13.83% 34 0.47% 372 5.11% 389 5.34% 1,799 24.71% 352 4.84% 10 0.14% 336 4.62% 131 1.80% 7,279 34.19%
15 746 14.56% 589 11.49% 361 7.04% 25 0.49% 40 0.78% 278 5.42% 19 0.37% 342 6.67% 106 2.07% 1,122 21.89% 570 11.12% 13 0.25% 141 2.75% 773 15.08% 5,125 26.99%
16 268 4.72% 583 10.27% 421 7.42% 24 0.42% 93 1.64% 123 2.17% 17 0.30% 573 10.10% 57 1.00% 495 8.72% 1,098 19.35% 9 0.16% 119 2.10% 1,794 31.62% 5,674 22.80%
17 288 3.57% 742 9.20% 682 8.46% 34 0.42% 125 1.55% 170 2.11% 9 0.11% 946 11.73% 64 0.79% 372 4.61% 1,757 21.79% 22 0.27% 196 2.43% 2,656 32.94% 8,063 27.12%
18 731 6.02% 1,324 10.91% 954 7.86% 58 0.48% 171 1.41% 900 7.42% 22 0.18% 1,559 12.85% 257 2.12% 864 7.12% 2,227 18.35% 30 0.25% 573 4.72% 2,466 20.32% 12,136 35.84%
19 1,050 4.92% 2,180 10.21% 753 3.53% 80 0.37% 80 0.37% 9,296 43.55% 52 0.24% 1,809 8.48% 396 1.86% 791 3.71% 1,724 8.08% 32 0.15% 2,023 9.48% 1,078 5.05% 21,344 56.99%
20 217 2.83% 568 7.40% 836 10.90% 40 0.52% 135 1.76% 139 1.81% 11 0.14% 1,122 14.63% 51 0.66% 352 4.59% 1,780 23.20% 19 0.25% 154 2.01% 2,247 29.29% 7,671 29.59%
21 360 2.86% 1,045 8.29% 1,186 9.41% 67 0.53% 211 1.67% 295 2.34% 11 0.09% 1,713 13.59% 78 0.62% 407 3.23% 3,049 24.19% 46 0.37% 293 2.33% 3,841 30.48% 12,602 33.48%
22 683 13.80% 634 12.81% 362 7.31% 24 0.48% 47 0.95% 373 7.53% 21 0.42% 327 6.60% 141 2.85% 1,292 26.10% 583 11.78% 7 0.14% 112 2.26% 345 6.97% 4,951 24.38%
23 1,303 14.29% 1,489 16.33% 281 3.08% 65 0.71% 19 0.21% 2,031 22.27% 60 0.66% 499 5.47% 547 6.00% 1,574 17.26% 405 4.44% 10 0.11% 609 6.68% 228 2.50% 9,120 35.35%
24 152 2.34% 535 8.23% 558 8.58% 48 0.74% 219 3.37% 114 1.75% 6 0.09% 739 11.36% 58 0.89% 268 4.12% 1,378 21.19% 12 0.18% 100 1.54% 2,316 35.61% 6,503 24.19%
25 1,026 10.43% 1,353 13.75% 1,223 12.43% 94 0.96% 56 0.57% 525 5.34% 64 0.65% 1,613 16.39% 217 2.21% 1,436 14.59% 1,376 13.98% 34 0.35% 410 4.17% 413 4.20% 9,840 33.15%
26 732 8.22% 1,128 12.67% 1,098 12.33% 51 0.57% 65 0.73% 310 3.48% 24 0.27% 1,551 17.42% 217 2.44% 1,275 14.32% 1,594 17.91% 37 0.42% 322 3.62% 498 5.59% 8,902 30.55%
27 404 3.84% 1,545 14.69% 916 8.71% 211 2.01% 189 1.80% 288 2.74% 43 0.41% 1,772 16.85% 165 1.57% 651 6.19% 2,012 19.13% 41 0.39% 376 3.57% 1,905 18.11% 10,518 28.12%
28 301 3.59% 825 9.83% 711 8.47% 120 1.43% 306 3.65% 206 2.45% 21 0.25% 1,231 14.67% 93 1.11% 377 4.49% 1,463 17.43% 24 0.29% 265 3.16% 2,449 29.18% 8,392 25.38%
29 458 4.21% 1,253 11.52% 787 7.23% 111 1.02% 587 5.40% 402 3.70% 30 0.28% 1,447 13.30% 217 1.99% 688 6.32% 1,911 17.57% 9 0.08% 415 3.81% 2,564 23.57% 10,879 30.11%
30 744 9.91% 1,064 14.17% 610 8.12% 76 1.01% 27 0.36% 400 5.33% 60 0.80% 1,154 15.37% 341 4.54% 1,545 20.57% 885 11.78% 10 0.13% 357 4.75% 237 3.16% 7,510 29.20%
31 725 11.15% 1,033 15.88% 470 7.23% 54 0.83% 23 0.35% 324 4.98% 37 0.57% 820 12.61% 285 4.38% 1,482 22.78% 708 10.88% 13 0.20% 267 4.10% 264 4.06% 6,505 26.16%
32 615 4.59% 2,449 18.26% 1,398 10.43% 100 0.75% 69 0.51% 522 3.89% 80 0.60% 3,947 29.43% 268 2.00% 1,063 7.93% 1,822 13.59% 60 0.45% 812 6.06% 205 1.53% 13,410 35.99%
33 678 6.15% 1,407 12.77% 1,215 11.03% 82 0.74% 65 0.59% 443 4.02% 42 0.38% 2,768 25.13% 293 2.66% 1,463 13.28% 1,774 16.10% 37 0.34% 529 4.80% 220 2.00% 11,016 39.90%
34 330 2.79% 1,110 9.39% 1,053 8.91% 77 0.65% 198 1.67% 331 2.80% 6 0.05% 1,623 13.73% 97 0.82% 388 3.28% 2,716 22.97% 28 0.24% 278 2.35% 3,587 30.34% 11,822 31.91%
35 538 6.71% 881 10.99% 1,069 13.34% 60 0.75% 54 0.67% 276 3.44% 31 0.39% 1,788 22.31% 195 2.43% 1,142 14.25% 1,461 18.23% 23 0.29% 294 3.67% 201 2.51% 8,013 30.91%
36 672 11.53% 947 16.25% 258 4.43% 48 0.82% 25 0.43% 492 8.44% 54 0.93% 565 9.70% 277 4.75% 1,283 22.02% 508 8.72% 5 0.09% 421 7.23% 271 4.65% 5,826 23.75%
37 196 2.53% 758 9.77% 578 7.45% 53 0.68% 613 7.90% 132 1.70% 12 0.15% 843 10.87% 71 0.92% 372 4.80% 1,416 18.25% 17 0.22% 162 2.09% 2,535 32.68% 7,758 24.50%
38 1,151 10.46% 1,901 17.27% 320 2.91% 130 1.18% 26 0.24% 1,576 14.32% 74 0.67% 1,225 11.13% 724 6.58% 1,510 13.72% 806 7.32% 18 0.16% 1,175 10.68% 370 3.36% 11,006 33.01%
39 1,046 7.81% 2,548 19.03% 637 4.76% 114 0.85% 32 0.24% 1,243 9.28% 60 0.45% 2,387 17.83% 585 4.37% 1,288 9.62% 1,527 11.40% 37 0.28% 1,476 11.02% 411 3.07% 13,391 40.62%
40 688 5.11% 1,626 12.07% 1,340 9.94% 74 0.55% 64 0.47% 692 5.14% 49 0.36% 4,027 29.88% 311 2.31% 1,154 8.56% 2,274 16.88% 30 0.22% 864 6.41% 282 2.09% 13,475 41.96%
41 1,633 9.11% 3,393 18.93% 298 1.66% 209 1.17% 17 0.09% 3,653 20.38% 74 0.41% 1,594 8.89% 1,206 6.73% 1,546 8.63% 911 5.08% 31 0.17% 2,747 15.33% 612 3.41% 17,924 48.18%
42 707 5.16% 4,412 32.23% 566 4.13% 97 0.71% 52 0.38% 551 4.02% 85 0.62% 2,868 20.95% 565 4.13% 937 6.84% 1,502 10.97% 57 0.42% 987 7.21% 304 2.22% 13,690 31.42%
43 652 4.51% 4,489 31.02% 743 5.13% 90 0.62% 49 0.34% 530 3.66% 73 0.50% 3,365 23.25% 342 2.36% 995 6.88% 1,659 11.46% 48 0.33% 1,133 7.83% 304 2.10% 14,472 40.10%
44 709 4.62% 3,187 20.76% 1,171 7.63% 100 0.65% 70 0.46% 454 2.96% 80 0.52% 4,453 29.01% 349 2.27% 1,391 9.06% 2,132 13.89% 59 0.38% 961 6.26% 236 1.54% 15,352 40.26%
45 1,266 8.46% 2,402 16.05% 624 4.17% 185 1.24% 46 0.31% 1,870 12.50% 101 0.68% 2,313 15.46% 942 6.30% 1,624 10.85% 1,455 9.72% 20 0.13% 1,529 10.22% 585 3.91% 14,962 42.62%
46 610 4.32% 2,039 14.43% 1,503 10.64% 96 0.68% 87 0.62% 392 2.77% 73 0.52% 4,163 29.46% 289 2.05% 1,254 8.87% 2,426 17.17% 45 0.32% 674 4.77% 480 3.40% 14,131 40.78%
47 820 4.18% 2,865 14.60% 1,991 10.15% 120 0.61% 87 0.44% 736 3.75% 97 0.49% 6,216 31.68% 373 1.90% 1,624 8.28% 3,159 16.10% 49 0.25% 1,190 6.07% 293 1.49% 19,620 49.55%
48 571 3.71% 1,886 12.27% 1,491 9.70% 84 0.55% 75 0.49% 637 4.14% 52 0.34% 5,056 32.89% 297 1.93% 1,037 6.75% 3,046 19.81% 36 0.23% 675 4.39% 430 2.80% 15,373 44.97%
49 469 3.77% 1,147 9.23% 1,756 14.13% 85 0.68% 78 0.63% 384 3.09% 37 0.30% 3,328 26.79% 177 1.42% 1,067 8.59% 2,918 23.49% 44 0.35% 483 3.89% 451 3.63% 12,424 42.61%
50 587 6.39% 2,087 22.72% 565 6.15% 122 1.33% 31 0.34% 528 5.75% 29 0.32% 1,610 17.53% 337 3.67% 755 8.22% 1,293 14.08% 20 0.22% 826 8.99% 395 4.30% 9,185 32.85%

Runoff[edit]

2019 Chicago mayoral election results (runoff)[4][3]
Candidate Votes %
Lori Lightfoot 386,039 73.70%
Toni Preckwinkle 137,765 26.30%
Total votes 523,804

Results by ward[edit]

Lightfoot won all fifty of the city's wards.[4][350][351] Additionally, Lightfoot won 2,049 of the city's 2,069 voting precincts (all but twenty), a victory for Lightfoot in more than 99.03% of precincts.[352]

The only neighborhood to back Preckwinkle over Lightfoot was Preckwinkle's home neighborhood of Hyde Park.[353] Preckwinkle's strongest support was in Hyde Park and its surrounding area, with Preckwinkle only managing to outperform Lightfoot in a single precinct that was located away from that part of the city.[354]

Results by ward[4]
Ward Lightfoot Preckwinkle Total votes Turnout %
Votes % Votes %
1 7,762 71.42% 3,106 28.58% 10,868 29.20%
2 10,430 80.89% 2,464 19.11% 12,894 32.09%
3 9,284 70.01% 3,977 29.99% 13,261 34.94%
4 8,663 59.72% 5,842 40.28% 14,505 39.94%
5 7,522 54.38% 6,311 45.62% 13,833 43.14%
6 7,549 66.88% 3,739 33.12% 11,288 34.31%
7 7,099 67.56% 3,409 32.44% 10,508 32.48%
8 9,327 65.99% 4,806 34.01% 14,133 37.56%
9 8,251 69.67% 3,592 30.33% 11,843 32.51%
10 5,281 81.67% 1,185 18.33% 6,466 23.93%
11 6,483 74.31% 2,241 25.69% 8,724 30.61%
12 3,061 74.35% 1,056 25.65% 4,117 20.05%
13 7,201 84.95% 1,276 15.05% 8,477 29.70%
14 3,853 81.87% 853 18.13% 4,706 21.90%
15 3,974 74.32% 1,373 25.68% 5,347 27.98%
16 4,085 69.77% 1,770 30.23% 5,855 23.39%
17 5,736 69.59% 2,507 30.41% 8,243 27.61%
18 8,439 73.38% 3,061 26.62% 11,500 33.82%
19 15,931 84.33% 2,961 15.67% 18,892 50.16%
20 5,110 65.81% 2,655 34.19% 7,765 20.56%
21 9,416 68.97% 4,237 31.03% 13,653 36.15%
22 2,820 75.20% 930 24.80% 3,750 18.40%
23 5,757 83.56% 1,133 16.44% 6,890 26.59%
24 4,576 69.49% 2,009 30.51% 6,585 24.21%
25 6,883 71.81% 2,702 28.19% 9,585 32.01%
26 4,867 66.22% 2,483 33.78% 7,350 25.05%
27 7,414 70.78% 3,061 29.22% 10,475 27.71%
28 6,004 71.81% 2,357 28.19% 8,361 25.04%
29 8,169 73.40% 2,961 26.60% 11,130 30.71%
30 5,790 73.67% 2,069 26.33% 7,859 30.33%
31 4,866 73.28% 1,774 26.72% 6,640 26.55%
32 10,027 78.91% 2,680 21.09% 12,707 33.87%
33 8,127 70.93% 3,330 29.07% 11,457 41.16%
34 8,304 68.78% 3,770 31.22% 12,074 32.41%
35 4,632 66.51% 2,332 33.49% 6,964 26.72%
36 4,557 81.96% 1,003 18.04% 5,560 22.51%
37 5,686 72.72% 2,133 27.28% 7,819 24.60%
38 8,498 83.87% 1,634 16.13% 10,132 30.25%
39 10,523 79.00% 2,798 21.00% 13,321 40.23%
40 9,954 71.55% 3,958 28.45% 13,912 43.05%
41 13,026 87.53% 1,856 12.47% 14,882 39.79%
42 11,086 84.32% 2,061 15.68% 13,147 29.95%
43 11,756 83.58% 2,309 16.42% 14,065 38.59%
44 10,904 80.47% 2,646 19.53% 13,550 35.20%
45 10,041 81.50% 2,279 18.50% 12,320 34.90%
46 10,400 73.06% 3,835 26.94% 14,235 40.69%
47 14,302 74.78% 4,824 25.22% 19,126 47.97%
48 10,452 70.27% 4,421 29.73% 14,873 43.26%
49 6,584 63.32% 3,814 36.68% 10,398 35.00%
50 5,577 71.88% 2,182 28.12% 7,759 27.57%

Voter turnout[edit]

First round[edit]

Turnout in the first round of the election was 35.20%.[1][2] The low turnout was attributed to poor youth turnout and a drop off in voter turnout from the 2018 midterms.[355][356][357]

The 35.32% turnout was higher than that of the first round of the 2015 election,[358] but was lower than that of the 2015 runoff.[359] Turnout was lower than in the previous open race in 2011.[360]

Turnout was reported to be lowest among the millennial age demographic, with a lower turnout among those under 35 than the previous lowest under-35 turnout in 2007.[361]

Runoff[edit]

Runoff turnout was 32.89%.[4][3]

Portrayal in media[edit]

The Steve James documentary series City So Real, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was later televised on National Geographic on October 28, 2020, centers on the mayoral election.[362]

Timeline[edit]

2017[edit]

  • June: The organization Take Charge Chicago (led by former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn) begins circulating petitions to place a referendum on the November 2018 ballot which, if approved by voters, would have prohibited Chicago mayors from serving more than two consecutive terms. If approved by voters, this would have prevented incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel from being eligible for re-election[363]
  • October 19: Rahm Emanuel declares his intention to seek re-election[12]
  • November 17: Troy LaRiviere announces candidacy[13]

2018[edit]

March
  • March 21: Garry McCarthy announces candidacy[15]
  • March 29: Willie Wilson announces candidacy[14]
April
  • April 19: Dorothy A. Brown Cook announces candidacy[16]
  • April 20: Ja'Mal Green announces candidacy[364]
  • April 22: Neal Sáles-Griffin announces candidacy[17]
May
  • May 2: Paul Vallas announces candidacy[18]
  • May 8: John Kozlar announces candidacy[19]
  • May 10: Lori Lightfoot announces candidacy[365]
August
  • August 6: Take Charge Chicago formally submits to the Chicago Board of Election its petition for a term-limits referendum question to be included on the November 2018 ballot[366]
  • August 24: Trudy Leong announces candidacy[367]
  • August 29: Amara Enyia[21] and Jerry Joyce[22] announce candidacies
  • August 31: Chicago Board of Elections rules that the term-limits referendum question petitioned by Take Charge Chicago had collected a sufficient number of valid signatures to preliminary qualify for inclusion on the November 2018 ballot[368]
September
  • September 4: Rahm Emanuel withdraws
  • September 11: Antoine Members[369] and Charles Minor[370] announce candidacies
  • September 12: Chicago Board of Elections rules that the term-limits referendum question petitioned by Take Charge Chicago is ineligible for inclusion on the November 2018 ballot due to improper phrasing[368][371][372]
  • September 17: William M. Daley announces candidacy[373]
  • September 18: Gery Chico[79] and William J. Kelly[374] announce candidacies
  • September 20: Toni Preckwinkle announces candidacy[375][376]
  • September 27: LaShawn Ford announces candidacy[377]
November
  • November 13: Troy LaRiviere withdraws
  • November 14: Susana Mendoza announces candidacy[102]
  • November 19: First day of petition filing
    • Catherine Brown D'Tycoon, Jerry Joyce, Toni Preckwinkle, and Paul Vallas file petitions[63][69]
  • November 23: Conrien Hykes Clark files petition[69]
  • November 26: Final day of petition filing[378]
    • Dorothy A. Brown Cook, Gery Chico, William M. Daley, Amara Enyia, Robert Fioretti, La Shawn K. Ford, Ja'Mal Green, John Kozlar, Lori Lightfoot, Sandra L. Mallory, Richard Mayers, Garry McCarthy, Susana Mendoza, Neal Sáles-Griffin, Roger L. Washington submit petitions[69]
    • William J. Kelly withdraws[134]
  • November 27: William "Dock" Walls withdraws[138]
December
  • December 3: Deadline for challenges to be filed[379]
    • Chico, Enyia, Fioretti, Joyce, Kozlar, Mallory, Preckwinkle, Vallas, and Wilson were not challenged, and were therefore certified as candidates and granted ballot status[69][380]
    • Challenges were filed against the petitions of Brown Cook, Brown D'Tycoon, Daley, Ford, Green, Hykes Clark, Lightfoot, Mayers, McCarthy, Mendoza, Sáles-Griffin, and Washington.[69][70]
  • December 20: Daley[381] and McCarthy[382] are both officially granted ballot status
  • December 27: Deadline to declare intent to run as a write-in candidates
    • Mendoza is officially granted ballot status[383]
    • The petitions of Hykes Clark,[125][384][385] Mallory,[125] and Mayers[125][385][386] are rejected, effectively removing these candidates' names from the ballot[70]
    • Ja'Mal Green files to withdraw his name from the ballot and instead run as a write-in[111][112][113]
  • December 31: Ja'Mal Green withdraws[109]

2019[edit]

January
  • January 2:
    • Lightfoot is officially granted ballot status[73]
    • The petitions of Brown D'Tycoon[108] and Washington[133] are rejected, effectively removing their names from the ballot[70]
  • January 12: Ford is officially granted ballot status[98]
  • January 22:
    • Sáles-Griffin is officially granted ballot status[387]
    • The petition of Brown Cook is rejected, effectively removing her name from the ballot[388]
  • January 29: Early voting begins for first round of election[67][68]
February
  • February 26: First round of election is held
March
  • March 15: Early voting begins for the runoff election[298][389]
April
  • April 2: Runoff election is held

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE FEBRUARY 26, 2019, MUNICIPAL GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL OF THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO" (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
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