CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Today is the day the field is set — or at least, the day it stops growing.
At 5 p.m. today, Monday, October 26, the filing window for Chicago’s 2027 mayoral race closes. Tomorrow, the petition challenges begin, and that is when this crowded race gets its first real cuts.
The last-day filers are the ones to watch today. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and attorney William Quinlan both said they would wait until the final day to file — a deliberate play for the lottery for the last spot on the ballot, the mirror image of the first-day filers who drew for the coveted first spot. Those first-day lottery names: businessman Willie Wilson, lobbyist John Kelly, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Chicago Housing Authority board commissioner Matt Brewer, and Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.
The totals already filed tell the organization story. Giannoulias turned in 60,000 signatures. Kelly estimated more than 36,000. Wilson filed an estimated 35,000 — and said he plans to challenge “everyone.” Brewer submitted more than 32,000. Mayor Brandon Johnson filed about 33,000 on Friday, gathered by 2,500 volunteers, and says he won’t challenge anyone else’s petitions.
But a filed total is a claim, not a result. Candidates need 12,500 valid signatures to make the February 23 ballot, and signatures get struck for signers not registered at the address given, for circulators who mishandle their sheets, for handwriting that doesn’t match the voter file. The Board of Elections will certify the final ballot by December 17.
So by tonight, we’ll know who filed. In the coming weeks, we’ll learn who actually survives.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the challenges land.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
