# Who's running for 25th Ward alderperson in 2027? Three have filed; Sigcho-López hasn't yet *Aida Flores, Leo Quintero and Ian Watkins have filed for 25th Ward alderman in the Feb. 23 election. Ald. Byron Sigcho-López has until Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.* By Chicago Politics · Updated Oct 22, 2026 Three candidates have filed to run for 25th Ward alderperson in Chicago's Feb. 23, 2027 election: Aida Flores, Leonardo "Leo" Quintero and Ian Watkins. All three turned in nominating papers to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners on Oct. 19, the first day of filing, according to the [Board's receipts](https://chicagoelections.gov/getting-ballot/candidates) that we list on our [25th Ward race page](/elections/2027/ward/25). The sitting alderperson, Byron Sigcho-López, is not among them yet. He launched a campaign for a third term on Aug. 18, [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/19/byron-sigcho-lopez-launches-reelection-campaign-for-alderman/), but no nominating papers from him are in the receipts we have as of Oct. 21. He, or anyone else, can file until 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, and the Board hasn't posted its own list of candidates yet. The 25th Ward takes in about three-quarters of Pilsen and parts of Little Village and of Little Italy and UIC, by the City's neighborhood boundaries. About 47,200 people live there; 68% of homes are rented, and the median household income is $64,963, according to Census figures on the [race page](/elections/2027/ward/25). ## Who is running? Candidates for alderperson need at least 473 valid signatures from voters in their ward, according to the [Board's 2027 calendar](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf). The counts below are ours: the filled-in signature lines on every sheet of the petition copy the Board gave us, with crossed-out lines left out. They aren't the Board's count of valid signatures, which it makes only if someone objects. ### Aida Flores - **Petition:** 296 pages; 2,515 signature lines by our count (13 crossed out). - **Campaign committee:** [Community For Aida Flores](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=34777), registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections in September 2018. - **Background:** Block Club describes her as a Pilsen educator running for the third time. She ran against Sigcho-López in 2023 and lost with about 47% to his 52%, [according to Block Club](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/19/byron-sigcho-lopez-launches-reelection-campaign-for-alderman/). We didn't find a current campaign website. - [Candidate page](/candidate/aida-flores) ### Leonardo "Leo" Quintero - **Petition:** 217 pages; 1,835 signature lines by our count (30 crossed out). - **Campaign committee:** [Leo for 25](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=41282), registered July 16, 2026. An earlier committee, [Friends of Leonardo Quintero](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=38944), was registered to support his candidacy for the 12th District's police District Council. - **Background:** Block Club describes him as a Pilsen organizer and police District Council member who joined the race in late July ([Block Club](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/19/byron-sigcho-lopez-launches-reelection-campaign-for-alderman/)). - [Candidate page](/candidate/leonardo-quintero) ### Ian Watkins - **Petition:** 50 pages; 495 signature lines by our count (5 crossed out). That is 22 more filled-in lines than the 473 valid signatures required, so any lines the Board finds invalid, if someone objects, could matter. - **Campaign committee:** [The 25th Ward for Ian Watkins](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=41174), registered May 1, 2026. - **Background:** Block Club describes him as a classically trained pianist and retired ballet dancer who has pledged to give 10% of his alderperson's salary to a ward trust for legal aid for undocumented families ([Block Club](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/19/byron-sigcho-lopez-launches-reelection-campaign-for-alderman/)). We didn't find a campaign website. - [Candidate page](/candidate/ian-watkins) ### Byron Sigcho-López (incumbent, not yet filed) ![Ald. Byron Sigcho-López (25th Ward)](/img/members/9F0FC064-F988-EC11-8D20-001DD804FD38-43f48ad1.jpg "Ald. Byron Sigcho-López (25th Ward), his official City Council photo. City of Chicago.") Sigcho-López won the seat in a 2019 runoff to succeed Ald. Danny Solis and was reelected in 2023, [Block Club reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/19/byron-sigcho-lopez-launches-reelection-campaign-for-alderman/). Earlier this year he ran for Congress; he was removed from the ballot for not meeting the signature requirement for independent candidates, and he told Block Club on Aug. 19 that he would focus on the aldermanic race. "I welcome the challenge," he said at his campaign launch. "I think that's part of democracy." - **Campaign committee:** [Friends of Byron Sigcho Lopez](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=25956), with $8,134 on hand on Sept. 30. - **On the Council:** He chairs the Committee on Housing and Real Estate. Read [his record this term](/on-my-block/profile-byron-sigcho-lopez-25th-ward-record) and [his full page](/ward/25). ### Who else has a committee? Two more people have campaign committees registered with the State Board that name this race, but no nominating papers in our receipts: Nubia Willman ([Neighbors for Nubia](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=41208)) and Miguel Chacon ([Friends of Miguel Chacon](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=41298)). Block Club reported both had launched campaigns. A committee isn't a ballot filing. ## What does a 25th Ward alderperson do? The 50 alderpersons are the City Council. They vote on the City's budget, taxes and borrowing and on citywide ordinances, and they sit on the committees that review them first. The 2026 revenue ordinance, which set many of the City's fees and taxes, [passed 29-19](/matter/SO2025-0021719-titles-1-3-4-7-8) on Dec. 19, 2025. An alderperson also files the ward's own business: liquor-license limits, signs, alleys and parking. Signs, alleys and parking are the most common subjects of what Sigcho-López filed this term, [according to our records](/ward/25). The ward office, at 2100 W. Cermak Road, handles residents' service requests. ## What are the key dates? All from the [Board's calendar](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf): - **Oct. 26, 5 p.m.:** filing closes. - **Oct. 27 to Nov. 2:** voters can object to a candidate's nominating papers. We track objections on our [objections page](/elections/2027/objections). - **Dec. 17:** the last day to withdraw; the Board certifies who is on the ballot. - **Jan. 26, 2027:** the last day of regular voter registration. Grace-period registration continues in person through Election Day. - **Feb. 23, 2027:** Election Day, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. - **April 6, 2027:** a runoff between the top two, if no one wins more than half the vote. - **May 17, 2027:** the new term begins. ## How to follow the race Our [25th Ward race page](/elections/2027/ward/25) lists every filing as we receive it, the campaign committees and the incumbent's record next to the Council median. Each candidate has a page: [Flores](/candidate/aida-flores), [Quintero](/candidate/leonardo-quintero) and [Watkins](/candidate/ian-watkins). Not sure of your ward? Start with your address in the [voter guide](/elections/2027/voter-guide), or see [who's running in every ward](/elections/2027/alderman-candidates). We list a candidate once they file with the Board, and we don't endorse. The next date to watch is Monday, Oct. 26, when filing closes at 5 p.m. ## Sources 1. chicagoelections.gov: [Board's receipts](https://chicagoelections.gov/getting-ballot/candidates) 2. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/19/byron-sigcho-lopez-launches-reelection-campaign-for-alderman/) 3. elections.il.gov: [Community For Aida Flores](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=34777) 4. elections.il.gov: [Leo for 25](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=41282) 5. elections.il.gov: [Friends of Leonardo Quintero](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=38944) 6. elections.il.gov: [The 25th Ward for Ian Watkins](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=41174) 7. elections.il.gov: [Friends of Byron Sigcho Lopez](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=25956) 8. elections.il.gov: [Neighbors for Nubia](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=41208) 9. elections.il.gov: [Friends of Miguel Chacon](https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?ID=41298) 10. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2) On the map: [Pilsen](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/pilsen), [Little Village](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/little-village), [Little Italy, UIC](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/little-italy-uic), [25th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/25) --- Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/who-is-running-25th-ward-alderperson-2027 · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt