CHICAGO — Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson will run for Chicago mayor, adding another progressive challenger to the field of 2023 candidates and raising the prospect of a rematch between the Chicago Teachers Union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Johnson’s announcement early Thursday is not a surprise. At a recent forum in Logan Square for progressive contenders, Johnson repeatedly said “when I’m mayor” in response to questions and he has long been considered a possible candidate for the post. Johnson, a longtime CTU leader, first won public office in 2018, when in the Democratic primary he defeated Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, who earned the ire of organized labor by voting against the county’s soda tax.
In a release formally announcing Johnson’s candidacy, he highlighted his background as a teacher and held a news conference later Thursday near Jenner School, where he started his career in education before Jenner merged with Ogden International School.
