2019 Chicago mayoral election

American election

An election for Mayor of Chicago in which the first round was held on February 26, 2019. Since no candidate received a majority of votes, a runoff election will be held on April 2, 2019. Incumbent Rahm Emanuel was able to run for a third term, as there are no term limits for the office of Mayor of Chicago, but on September 4, 2018 declined to seek a third term.[4][5]

2019 Chicago mayoral election

← 2015 February 26 and April 2, 2019 2023 →
Turnout35.32%[1][2] Decrease 5.78 pp (first round)
31.28%[3] Decrease 4.04 pp (second round)
 
Candidate Lori Lightfoot Toni Preckwinkle Bill Daley
First-round vote 97,330 88,998 82,019
First-round percentage 17.54% 16.04% 14.78%
Second-round vote 364,965 130,327
Second-round percentage 73.69% 26.31%

 
Candidate Willie Wilson Susana Mendoza Amara Enyia
First-round vote 58,831 50,199 44,372
First-round percentage 10.60% 9.05% 8.00%

 
Candidate Jerry Joyce Gery Chico Paul Vallas
First-round vote 40,014 34,420 30,154
First-round percentage 7.21% 6.20% 5.44%

Lightfoot won all 50 wards in the runoff
  84–88%
  79–84%
  74–79%
  69–74%
  64–69%
  59–64%
  54-59%

Mayor before election

Rahm Emanuel

Elected Mayor

Lori Lightfoot

Emanuel was first elected in 2011, when he took 55.19% of the vote in a four candidate field. He was reelected in 2015, receiving 55.7% of the vote in the runoff election.

The total of fourteen candidates on the mayoral ballot is record-setting for Chicago mayoral elections.[6]

In the first round election, Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle advanced to the runoff election.[7] Lightfoot was elected in a victory landslide, becoming the first African-American woman mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot will also be the first openly LGBT Mayor of Chicago.[8] Lightfoot won all fifty of the city's wards.[9]

Candidates change

Second round change

Name Experience Announced Ref
The following candidates have advanced to the runoff election on April 2 [10][11]
 
Lori Lightfoot
Former President of the Chicago Police Board 2015–2018 May 10, 2018
 
(Website Archived 2019-01-17 at the Wayback Machine)
[4][12][13][14]
 
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 2019-01-17 at the Wayback Machine)
[13][15][16][17]

Eliminated in first round change

Name Experience Announced Ref
The following candidates were eliminated/conceded in the first round
 
Gery Chico
Chair of the Illinois State Board of Education 2011–2015 September 17, 2018
 
(Website Archived 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine)
[10][18][19][20][21][22]
 
William M. Daley
White House Chief of Staff 2011–2012
United States Secretary of Commerce 1997–2000
September 14, 2018
 
(Website Archived 2019-02-17 at the Wayback Machine)
[10][23][24][25][26]
 
Amara Enyia
Director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce August 28, 2018
 
(Website)
[12][13][27][28][29]
 
Robert Fioretti
Former Alderman from the 2nd Ward 2007–2015 November 26, 2018
 
(Website Archived 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine)
[30][31][32][33][34]
 
La Shawn Ford
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2007 November 12, 2018
 
(Website)
[35][36][37][38][39][40]
 
Neal Sáles-Griffin
CEO of CodeNow March 11, 2018
 
(Website Archived 2019-01-17 at the Wayback Machine)
[12][41][42]
 
Jerry Joyce
Former Assistant States Attorney August 29, 2018
 
(Website Archived 2019-01-17 at the Wayback Machine)
[13][15][43]
 
John Kozlar
Candidate for Alderman from the 11th Ward in 2011 and 2015 May 30, 2018
 
(Website Archived 2020-08-12 at the Wayback Machine)
[12][44]
 
Garry McCarthy
Former Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department 2011–2015 March 21, 2018
 
(Website)
[10][18][45][46]
 
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)
[12][13][47][48][49]
 
Paul Vallas
Former Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools 1995–2001 March 28, 2018
 
(Website)
[15][50][51]
 
Willie Wilson
Businessman
Owner of Omar Medical Supplies
March 29, 2018
 
(Website Archived 2019-01-17 at the Wayback Machine)
[15][52]

Rejected change

Withdrawn change

  • Rahm Emanuel, incumbent Mayor. Withdrew on September 4, 2018[56]
  • Ja'Mal Green, Executive director of the Majostee Allstars Community Center. Withdrew on December 31, 2018[57][58]
  • John Kass, columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Withdrew on September 24, 2018[59][60]
  • Troy LaRaviere, President of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. Withdrew on November 13, 2018[4][18][61][62]

Polling change

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
Paul
Vallas
Willie
Wilson
Other Undecided
2019
Global Strategy Group[63][64] January 10-15 600 ±4.0% - - 9% - - - - - - - 11% 11% - - - -
2018
Tulchin Research[65] December 10-16 600 ±4.0% - 3% 10% 6% - 2% - - 3% 8% 12% 22% 10% 7% - 19%
ALG Research[66][67][68] December, 4-9 600 - 6% 3% 9% 5% - - - - 4% 7% 16% 21% 6% 8% - -
ALG Research[67] December, 4-9 600 - 4% 4% 12% 4% - - - - 3% 6% 20% 22% - 7% - -

Early polling change

Mendoza vs. Preckwinkle change

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Susana
Mendoza
Toni
Preckwinkle
Undecided
Global Strategy Group[63] January 10–15 600 ±4.0% 43% 30%
Tulchin Research[65] December 10-16 600 ±4.0% 39% 42% 19%
ALG Research[66][67][68] December 4–9 600 - 45% 39%
ALG Research[66][67][68] December 4–9 600 - 44% 44% 12%
Global Strategy Group[73] November 8–11 600 +/-4.0% 47% 35%
Global Strategy Group[73] November 8–11 600 +/-4.0% 39% 34%

|}

References change

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