Politics

‘I Hope to See Mayor Johnson Come Off the Sideline’ in Mayoral Race: CTU President Stacy Davis Gates

A long list of Chicago mayoral hopefuls have begun collecting signatures to get their name on February’s ballot. And while Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to announce if he’s running for a second term, he still has the backing of one of his most prominent supporters.

“I hope to see Mayor Johnson come off the sideline,” said Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union in an interview with WTTW News on Tuesday. “And I hope to see the people who support him get out here and pass a petition. If he’s not going to pass one, I’ll pass one for him.”

The incumbent mayor kept reporters guessing when asked Tuesday about his reelection plans during an unrelated news conference. 

“I just want to hold on to the city of Chicago a little bit longer so that, when the politics come, we will have fully embraced the moment that we’re in,” Johnson said. 

Johnson cited the reduced homicide rate and affordable home construction during his first term as some of the achievements he wants “to hold onto a little bit longer.” 

As a former CTU organizer, Johnson had the union’s backing in the 2023 election. And while it’s not clear how union membership as a whole will vote in their endorsement process, Davis Gates praised his handling of the public school system — a job that has plagued past mayors. 

“We have had a system of mayors choose to do harmful things to the public school system,” Davis Gates said. “I don’t think we’ve done better as Chicago Public Schools than we have than under (Johnson’s) leadership.”

CTU is currently pushing back on a district budget proposal that could result in over 1,600 layoffs. Today, CPS put forth a revised plan today that avoids staff furloughs but still keeps layoffs on the table.

That change came because the district increased their anticipated TIF surplus funds by $85 million. The current budgeted amount of $285 million in surplus funds is still below the record $576 million provided last year. 

While the city won’t declare a TIF surplus until later in the year, Davis Gates pointed to the past two years of TIF funding directed to schools as a positive change from previous administrations — a pointed moment of praise from a union that once called to “De-TIF Chicago.” 

“The billion dollars that we’ve received since 2024 have gone to re-open libraries at Fairfield Elementary School,” Davis Gates said. “That same library is on the chopping block right now because we can’t get the school funded.”

Mayoral candidates will need to turn in at least 12,500 signatures from registered Chicago voters to get their name on the ballot, although most successful candidates turn in far more in order to withstand challenges from opponents. 

Candidates will then file signatures in mid-October, with the ballot scheduled to be certified by Dec. 17.

The election is on the calendar on Feb. 23, 2027, with the run-off date set for Apr. 6 if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round.

Heather Cherone contributed to this reporting. 

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