# Who's running for Chicago mayor and City Council in 2027? What we know as petition filing opens *Candidates have until 5 p.m. Oct. 26 to file for the Feb. 23 election. Who filed on day one, who has a campaign committee, and how to find your ward's race.* By Chicago Politics · Updated Oct 21, 2026 Chicago's 2027 city election is on the calendar, and the field is starting to take shape. Candidates for mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, all 50 City Council seats and the police District Councils began filing their nominating papers with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners on Monday, Oct. 19. The filing period ends at 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26. Election Day is Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2027, according to the [Board's 2027 election calendar](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf). Here's what is on the public record so far, and how to follow your own ward's race. ## Who filed on the first day? We now list everyone who has filed for alderman, ward by ward, with photos and how many petition signatures each turned in, on our page [Who's running for alderman in Chicago in 2027](/elections/2027/alderman-candidates). The list comes from the Board's receipts for nominating papers, so it may be incomplete until the Board posts its own list. The [Chicago Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/10/19/mayor-race-candidates-stacks-nominating-petitions-chicago-board-of-elections) that five candidates for mayor filed petitions on Monday: former Chicago Housing Authority board chair Matt Brewer, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, lobbyist John Kelly and businessman Willie Wilson. It reported that Bruce Leon filed for city treasurer, and that incumbents and challengers filed in aldermanic races. According to the Sun-Times, Mayor Brandon Johnson's campaign said he would file after his budget address on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and a spokesperson for Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she would file on the last day. ## Who has a campaign committee? Anyone raising money for a Chicago race registers a campaign committee with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Those records are public, and they offer an early, partial look at the field. A registered committee is not a ballot filing: some people with committees won't file, and many candidates, including most sitting alderpersons, never update their committee to name the 2027 race. As of Oct. 19, the State Board's data shows 73 people with an active committee that names a 2027 Chicago race: - **Mayor: 17.** Alexi Giannoulias, Bill Quinlan, Brandon Johnson, Danielle Carter-Walters, George A. Cardenas, Jabari L. Taylor, Jessica Maronto, John Kelly, Joseph Holberg, Latonia "Toni" Brooks, Liam Stanton, Lisa Nee, Matthew Brewer, Mike Quigley, Susana A. Mendoza, Willie Wilson and Zoe Ma. - **City clerk: 2.** Anna Valencia, the incumbent, and Jacob Schulz. - **Alderperson: 41, in 25 wards.** The 25th Ward has the most, five, including Ald. Byron Sigcho-López. The 8th and 17th wards have three each. Four sitting alderpersons have a committee that names the 2027 race: Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), Byron Sigcho-López (25th), Silvana Tabares (23rd) and Bill Conway (34th). - **Police District Councils: 13,** in six police districts. Each race page lists these committees, with a link to the State Board's record, under the heading "Campaign committees registered for this race," separate from the candidates who file with the Board. ## What happens next? The filing period is the first of several deadlines before the ballot is set, according to the Board's calendar: - **Oct. 19 to 26:** candidates file nominating papers. Alderperson candidates need at least 473 valid signatures from voters in their ward. - **Oct. 27 to Nov. 2:** voters may object to a candidate's nominating papers. Objections are heard by the Board, and some candidates are removed from the ballot. We'll track each one on our [objections page](/elections/2027/objections). - **Dec. 17:** the last day for candidates 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, with polls open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. - **April 6, 2027:** a runoff, in any race where no candidate wins more than half the vote. - **May 17, 2027:** the new City Council term begins. Chicago's city elections are nonpartisan: candidates appear on the ballot without a party label. ## How to find your ward's race Our [2027 voter guide](/elections/2027/voter-guide) starts with your address: type it in and it takes you to your ward's race page. Each ward's page lists the candidates as the Board lists them, the registered campaign committees, the dates, and the sitting alderperson's record this term: attendance, how often they voted with the majority on divided votes, the legislation they filed and the money they raised, each next to the Council median. For the citywide races, see the pages for [mayor](/elections/2027/mayor), [city clerk](/elections/2027/clerk) and [city treasurer](/elections/2027/treasurer). The [police District Council page](/elections/2027/police-district-councils) lists those races by police district. ## How we list candidates We list a candidate once they file nominating papers with the Board of Election Commissioners, citing the Board's receipt until the Board posts its own list. People who have only announced, or have only a campaign committee, aren't listed as candidates, and removals follow the Board's rulings. Our [criteria page](/elections/2027/criteria) explains how we cover the election, including our corrections policy and who pays for this site. ## What it means on your block Every ward in the city will choose an alderperson on Feb. 23, and the field in your ward is being set this week. If you want to know who is asking for your vote, start with your address in the [voter guide](/elections/2027/voter-guide), and check back after Oct. 26, when filing closes, and after Nov. 2, when the objection period ends. ## Sources 1. Chicago Sun-Times: [Chicago Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/10/19/mayor-race-candidates-stacks-nominating-petitions-chicago-board-of-elections) --- Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/who-is-running-chicago-mayor-city-council-2027 · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt