Illinois Insights Special Edition: Chicago Municipal Election Results (3/1)

2023 CHICAGO MUNICIPAL ELECTION RESULTS

The 2023 Municipal Election took place on February 28, 2023 with offices for Mayor, Alderpeople in all 50 Wards, City Clerk, City Treasurer, and Police District Councils on the ballots as well as Referenda and Local Options.

Police District Councils were created in each of the City’s 22 police districts and will be made up of three people elected in regular municipal elections every four years, starting in February 2023. The top three vote-getters in each of the District Council elections will serve on the commission meant to provide oversight of the Chicago Police Department. The races will not go to a runoff, unlike the mayoral and City Council races.

Both City Clerk Anna Valencia and City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin ran unopposed and will serve for another four years.

Polls opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28^th, following weeks of early in-person and mail-in voting.

According to the Chicago Board of Elections, there are approximately 100,000 outstanding mail-in ballots heading into Election Day, meaning results are subject to change as these votes are totaled over the coming days. As of Wednesday morning, here’s how the races are unfolding. 

MAYORAL RACE

Just before 9:00 p.m. Tuesday night, Mayor Lori Lightfoot conceded in the race for Chicago mayor, ending her historic run as the city’s first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve in the position. The concession marks the first time in 40 years a Chicago mayor has lost reelection.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot finished third in Tuesday’s election with 17.1 percent of the vote, behind former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas at 33.8 percent and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson with 20.3 percent.

The stage is now set for Johnson and Vallas, who are campaigning on starkly different visions for Chicago, to compete head-to-head in an April runoff election to decide who will become the 57th mayor of Chicago.

ALDERMANIC RACES

In City Council races, most incumbent Chicago aldermen that sought reelection are holding on to their seats or advancing to runoffs. Only one incumbent was losing as of early Wednesday morning – 12^th Ward Ald. Anabel Abarca, who had just been appointed to the seat by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in December. Many incumbents who were thought to be in competitive races ended up winning reelection outright or are surviving to advance to an April 4 runoff. According to unofficial results, six incumbents are expected to defend their seats in the April runoff elections.

At least 16 aldermen elected in 2019 will not join the new council in May, due to retirements, runs for other offices, and one removal from City Council following a federal tax crime conviction.

Alds. Roderick Sawyer (6^th) and Sophia King (4^th) both made runs for mayor, leaving their respective seats vacant. Alds. Leslie Hairston (5^th), Susan Sadlowski Garza (10^th), Edward Burke (14^th), Howard Brookins (21^st), Roberto Maldonado (26^th), Ariel Reboyras (30^th), Carrie Austin (34^th), Tom Tunney (44^th), James Cappleman (46^th) and Harry Osterman (48^th) chose not to seek reelection.

An overview of all fifty aldermanic races is below, although vote totals and results are subject to change.

• 1^st Ward: Incumbent Ald. Daniel La Spata is leading the race for 1^st Ward alderman with 49.2 percent of the vote. His closest challenger, West Town attorney Sam Royko, has 23.7 percent of the vote. If La Spata cannot garner at least 50 percent as late arriving mail ballots are added, the two will head to a runoff. Community leader Stephen “Andy” Schneider is in third with 19.3 percent of the vote, and former 1st Ward Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno has 7.3 percent.
• 2^nd Ward: Incumbent Ald. Brian Hopkins secured his third term serving the 2^nd Ward after running unopposed in Tuesday night’s election.
• 3^rd Ward: Incumbent Ald. Pat Dowell retained her seat for a fifth term, running unopposed after all three of her challengers were removed from the ballot in January.
• 4^th Ward: In the race for the 4^th Ward seat, left vacant by mayoral candidate Ald. Sophia King, State Rep. Lamont Robinson will advance to a runoff in the 4^th Ward as challengers Prentice Butler and Ebony Lucas are vying for the 2^nd spot, separated Wednesday morning by only 60 votes (with as many as 1,979 mail-in votes remaining to be counted). Rep. Robinson currently sits at 46.2 percent of the vote, outgoing Ald. King’s chief of staff Prentice Butler at 15.0 percent, and real estate attorney Ebony Lucas at 14.5 percent.
• 5^th Ward: Retiring Ald. Leslie Hairston’s 5^th Ward seat will be determined in a runoff election between community organizer Desmon Yancy and former Lightfoot staffer Martina “Tina” Hone. In a crowded race of eleven total candidates, Yancy received 26.2 percent of the vote to Hone’s 17.6 percent.
• 6^th Ward: William Hall will face Richard Wooten in the runoff to fill the seat left vacant by mayoral candidate Ald. Roderick Sawyer. Hall and Wooten won 24.1 percent and 23.0 percent of the total vote, respectively, ousting nine other candidates.
• 7^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Gregory Mitchell was reelected to a third term as 7^th Ward alderperson after running unopposed.
• 8^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Michelle Harris won her fifth full term in office, earning 70.8 percent of the vote to Avalon Park resident Linda Hudson’s 17.9 percent and former 17^th Ward chief of staff Sean Flynn’s 11.3 percent.
• 9^th Ward: Ald. Anthony Beale cruised to a seventh term in City Council with 60.3 percent of the vote to challengers Cleopatra Draper’s 31.7 percent and Cameron Barnes’ 8.0 percent.
• 10^th Ward: Police officer Peter Chico and labor organizer Ana Guajardo will head to a runoff in April to compete for the 10^th Ward seat left open by retiring Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza. Chico received 41.0 percent of the vote to Guajardo’s 26.6 percent.
• 11^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Nicole Lee, who was appointed to the seat last year and is seeking her first full term, will face police officer Anthony “Tony” Ciaravino in a runoff election. As of Wednesday morning, the two were only separated by 17 votes, with Lee at 30.5 percent and Ciaravino closely behind at 30.4 percent. The race included five other candidates.
• 12^th Ward: Newly appointed Ald. Anabel Abarca lost her 12^th Ward seat to political newcomer Julia Ramirez. With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Ramirez held 56.5 percent to Abarca’s 43.5 percent.
• 13^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Marty Quinn easily secured a fourth term as the 13^th Ward alderperson Tuesday night, winning 87.9 percent of the vote over challenger Paul Bruton.
• 14^th Ward: : Jeylu Gutierrez, formerly the district director to Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya, defeated Raul Reyes in the race for the 14^th Ward seat previously held by indicted Ald. Ed Burke, garnering 65.1 percent of the vote and becoming the ward’s first new alderperson in over 50 years.
• 15^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Raymond Lopez defeated challengers Victoria “Vicko” Alvarez and Gloria Ann Williams, obtaining 64.4 percent of the vote against Alvarez’ 23.9 percent and Williams’ 11.7 percent. This will be Lopez’s third term.
• 16^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Stephanie Coleman secured a second term in office against police officer Carolynn Crump and nonprofit leader Eddie Johnson with almost 80 percent of the vote.
• 17^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. David Moore secured his third term representing the 17^th Ward on the City Council after running uncontested.
• 18^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Derrick Curtis was reelected to his 18^th Ward post for a third term, cruising to victory with 61.5 percent over community organizer Heather Wills’s 38.5 percent.
• 19^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Matt O’Shea secured his fourth term as 19^th Ward alderman, garnering 63.1 percent of the vote and defeating political novices Mike Cummings and Tim Noonan. Cummings finished second with 31.5 percent of the vote; Noonan won 5.4 percent.
• 20^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Jeanette Taylor was able to avoid a runoff against challengers Jennifer Maddox and Andre Smith, securing 52.9 percent of the total vote. Maddox and Smith received 26.4 percent and 20.7 percent of the vote, respectively.
• 21^st Ward: Ronnie Mosley and Cornell Dantzler will advance to a runoff over a crowded field of seven candidates to succeed retiring Ald. Howard Brookins. At the time of this writing, Mosley holds 24.7 percent of the vote, while Dantzler holds 22.1 percent.
• 22^nd Ward: Incumbent Ald. Michael Rodriguez has won a second term in office, defeating challengers Kristian Armendariz and Neftalie Gonzalez. Rodriguez secured 66.5 percent of the vote to Armendariz’s 17.9 percent and Gonzalez’s 15.6 percent.
• 23^rd Ward: Incumbent Ald. Silvana Tabares handedly won a fourth term in office, attaining 73.1 percent of the vote over sole challenger Eddie Guillen’s 26.9 percent.
• 24^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Monique Scott will head to a runoff against Creative Scott. Monique Scott was appointed to lead the ward in June, replacing her brother Michael Scott. In a crowded field of eight candidates, Ald. Monique Scott won 45.4 percent of the vote to Creative Scott’s 14.8 percent.
• 25^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez narrowly avoided a runoff election against his sole challenger Aida Flores, amassing 52.4 percent of the vote and winning his second term on the City Council.
• 26^th Ward: Jessica Fuentes secured the seat left open by retiring Ald. Roberto Maldonado, defeating Angee Gonzalez Rodriguez and Julian Perez to win her first term on the City Council. Fuentes earned 54.4 percent of the total vote to Perez’s 33.3 percent and Rodriguez’s 12.3 percent.
• 27^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Walter Burnett won his eighth term representing the 27^th Ward, running unopposed.
• 28^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Jason Ervin easily defeated his sole challenger Shawn Walker after Walker’s last minute re-addition to the ballot, obtaining 75.5 percent of the vote to Walker’s 24.5 percent. This will be Ervin’s fourth full term on the City Council representing the 28^th Ward.
• 29^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Chris Taliaferro appears to have narrowly avoided a runoff election and secured his third term as 29^th Ward alderman, pending the counting of additional mail ballots. At the time of this writing, Taliaferro had attained 50.5 percent of the vote to CB Johnson’s 40.5 percent and Corey Dooley’s 9.0 percent.
• 30^th Ward: Jessica Gutiérrez and Ruth Cruz will head to a runoff election for the 30^th Ward seat left vacant by retiring Ald. Ariel Reboyras. Gutiérrez and Cruz earned 38.6 percent and 27.8 percent of the vote, respectively, knocking JuanPablo Prieto and Warren Williams out of the race.
• 31^st Ward: Incumbent Ald. Felix Cardona obtained his second term on the City Council representing the 31^st Ward, garnering 81.1 percent of the vote and defeating his sole challenger, community activist and Navy veteran Esteban Burgoa Ontañon.
• 32^nd Ward: Incumbent Ald. Scott Waguespack ran unopposed to win his fifth term as 32^nd Ward alderman.
• 33^rd Ward: Incumbent Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez narrowly avoided a runoff election, winning the 33^rd Ward seat with 53.1 percent of the vote to Samie Martinez’s 35.5 percent and Laith Shaaban’s 11.4 percent. This will be Rodriguez-Sanchez’s second term.
• 34^th Ward: Bill Conway defeated sole challenger Jim Ascot for the 34^th Ward seat formerly held by retiring Ald. Carrie Austin, obtaining 66.7 percent of the vote to Ascot’s 33.2 percent.
• 35^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa ran unopposed to win his third term representing the 35^th Ward on the City Council.
• 36^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Gilbert Villegas will defend his seat against Lori Torres Whitt in a runoff election April 4 after narrowly failing to win a majority of the vote. Villegas earned 47.8 percent of the vote to Whitt’s 28.6 percent, David Herrera’s 15.9 percent, and Jacqueline Baez’s 7.7 percent. Villegas is seeking his third term on the City Council.
• 37^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Emma Mitts won her seventh term representing the 37^th Ward on the City Council, attaining 62.9 percent of the total vote. Other candidates in the race were Corey Braddock, Howard Ray, and Jake Towers, earning 4.4 percent, 27.0 percent, and 5.7 percent of the vote, respectively.
• 38^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Nick Sposato successfully defended his 38^th Ward seat against challengers Ed Bannon, Cynthia Santos, Franco Reyes, and Bruce Randazzo. Sposato won 56.4 percent of the vote to secure his fourth term as alderman.
• 39^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Samantha Nugent fended off her sole challenger, Denali Dasgupta, to secure a second term serving the 39^th Ward. Nugent garnered 63.7 percent of the vote to Dasgupta’s 36.3 percent.
• 40^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Andre Vasquez defeated both challengers Christian Blume and Jane Lucius to win a second term representing the 40^th Ward. Vasquez attained 77.9 percent of the vote to Blume’s 15.2 percent and Lucius’s 6.9 percent.
• 41^st Ward: Incumbent Ald. Anthony Napolitano secured his third term representing the City Council’s 41^st Ward seat, fending off sole challenger Paul Struebing. Napolitano won 74.1 percent of the popular vote to Struebing’s 25.9 percent.
• 42^nd Ward: Longtime incumbent Ald. Brendan Reilly secured his fifth term as 42^nd Ward alderman after running unopposed.
• 43^rd Ward: Incumbent Ald. Timmy Knudsen and Brian Comer will head to a runoff election April 4 after no candidate obtained 50 percent of the vote. Knudsen was appointed to the seat in September to replace former Ald. Michele Smith after her resignation and is hoping to secure his first full term. In a crowded field of six candidates, Knudsen earned 27.0 percent of the vote and Comer 24.3 percent.
• 44^th Ward: In the seat left vacant by retiring Ald. Tom Tunney, Tunney’s former chief of staff Bennett Lawson ran unopposed and secured the 44^th Ward seat on the City Council.
• 45^th Ward: In a race still too close to call, it is likely incumbent Ald. James Gardiner and Megan Matthias will compete in a runoff election April 4. In a crowded field of six candidates, Gardiner is currently narrowly missing the majority threshold to avoid a runoff with 48.9 percent of the total vote versus Megan Matthias’s 16.3 percent. This would be Gardiner’s second term.
• 46^th Ward: For the 46^th Ward seat left vacant by retiring Ald. James Cappleman, Angela Clay and Kim Walz will head to a runoff election April 4. Clay and Walz attained 35.1 percent and 26.1 percent of the total vote respectively. The other candidates in the highly contested race were Patrick Nagle, Marianne Lalonde, Roushaunda Williams, and Michael Cortez.
• 47^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Matt Martin ran unopposed to secure his second term representing the 46^th Ward on the City Council.
• 48^th Ward: Joe Dunne and Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth will face off in a runoff election for retiring Ald. Harry Osterman’s 48^th Ward seat. In a field of ten candidates, Dunne’s 27.4 percent and Manaa-Hoppenworth’s 21.5 percent of the vote were the two highest.
• 49^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Maria Hadden easily won reelection against challengers Belia Rodriguez and William Morton to secure her second term. Hadden won 73.0 percent of the vote.
• 50^th Ward: Incumbent Ald. Debra Silverstein secured a fourth term over sole challenger Mueze Bawany with 67.8 percent of the vote.

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