Politics
Matt Brewer, Former Chicago Housing Authority Board Chair, Joins Mayoral Race
Screenshot from Matt Brewer's campaign launch video. (Courtesy of Matt Brewer via YouTube)
Former Chicago Housing Authority board chair and current board member Matt Brewer announced Thursday he is entering the crowded race for mayor.
The announcement comes just months after Mayor Brandon Johnson moved to oust Brewer as chair of the Chicago Housing Authority after Brewer led the push to appoint a new CEO despite the mayor’s objections.
“At the CHA, I’ve had a front row seat to see the dysfunction coming out of City Hall,” Brewer said in a campaign launch video. “I’m running for mayor because, for too long, we’ve been presented with a false choice about Chicago’s future.”
“We can invest in our people without sacrificing our competitive edge,” Brewer continued. “We can be a city that’s affordable to live and a great place to do business. A city that thinks boldly about issues like housing, education and public transit. A city of opportunity for everyone.”
The South Side native is also an attorney and entrepreneur. He co-owns Chicago’s iconic Wiener’s Circle and co-owns the city’s first independent, Black-owned marijuana dispensary.
Brewer is the latest candidate to launch their mayoral campaign this month, joining state Comptroller Susana Mendoza who announced plans to run June 3 and Cook County Board of Review commissioner George Cardenas who announced last week.
Also running are U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley and businessmen Joe Holberg and Liam Stanton. Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias are also expected to enter the race.
Johnson has not formally said yet whether he will seek a second term in office.
Brewer grew up in the Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side and holds degrees from Stanford University, Yale Law School and Harvard Business School.
Chicago’s mayoral election is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2027.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
