Richard Michael Daley is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term. At 22 years, his was the longest tenure in Chicago mayoral history, surpassing the 21-year mayoralty of his father, Richard J. Daley.
David Duvall Orr is an American Democratic politician who served as the Cook County Clerk from 1990 to 2018. Orr previously served as alderman for the 49th ward in Chicago City Council from 1979 to 1990. He briefly served as acting Mayor of Chicago from November 25 to December 2, 1987, following the death of Mayor Harold Washington. Orr retired from the office of Cook County Clerk in 2018, opting not to run for an eighth term.
Dorothy Jean Tillman is an American politician, civil rights activist and former Chicago, Illinois alderman. Tillman served as the alderman of the city's 3rd Ward from 1985 until 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, representing part of the city's South Side in the Chicago City Council. As an Alderman, Tillman was a strong advocate of reparations for slavery. In April 2007, Tillman was defeated in a runoff election by challenger Pat Dowell. Tillman defeated Dowell in 2003. Prior to her career as an alderman, Tillman was active in the Civil Rights Movement, working for Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) as an activist. Tillman was known for wearing large hats and has cultivated this image as her trademark.
Mary Ann Smith is a former alderman of the 48th ward of the City of Chicago; she was appointed in 1989 by Mayor Richard M. Daley to replace Kathy Osterman. She won re-election in 1991, and was re-elected four more times before retiring in 2011. She currently serves as a member of the Chicago Commission on Landmarks.
Edward Michael Burke is an American politician found guilty of racketeering, bribery, and extortion who served as the alderman of Chicago's 14th ward from 1969 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the Chicago City Council in 1969, and represented part of the city's Southwest Side. Chair of Council's Committee on Finance, Burke had been called Chicago's "most powerful alderman" by the Chicago Sun-Times. Burke was named one of the "100 Most Powerful Chicagoans" by Chicago Magazine, describing him as "[o]ne of the last of the old-school Chicago Machine pols."
Latasha R. Thomas is an American politician and former alderman of the 17th Ward of the City of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Thomas was appointed to the position of alderman by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2000, subsequently elected outright in a 2001 special election, and was re-elected in 2003, 2007, and 2011. During her tenure as alderman, Thomas worked to get many of the schools within her ward renovated. In the fall of 2014 Thomas announced that she would not seek re-election in 2015 as alderman, following the announcement that a former employee would run in her place.
Carrie Austin is alderman of the 34th ward on Chicago's far south side. The predominantly African-American ward includes portions of Morgan Park, Roseland, Washington Heights and West Pullman.
Bernard "Berny" L. Stone was alderman of the 50th Ward of the City of Chicago, Illinois from 1973 to 2011. The 50th Ward encompasses part of Chicago's far North Side and includes the West Ridge and Peterson Park neighborhoods. First elected to the Council in 1973, Stone was the second longest-serving alderman. His tenure spanned the terms of seven Mayors, from Richard J. Daley to Richard M. Daley. Stone was also Vice Mayor of the City of Chicago from 1998 to 2011.
Sandra Lee Jackson is an American politician. She was elected to the Chicago City Council as an alderman of the 7th ward of the City of Chicago in the 2007 municipal elections held on February 27, 2007. She succeeded Darcel A. Beavers who had been appointed by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley after the 2006 November elections to succeed her father William Beavers, Jackson's rival, as alderman of the 7th Ward. Jackson resigned from Chicago City Council, effective January 15, 2013. On February 20, 2013, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of filing false tax returns, and on August 14, 2013, was sentenced to one year in prison.
Toni Lynn Preckwinkle is an American politician and the current County Board president in Cook County, Illinois, United States. She was elected to her first term as president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the executive branch of Cook County government, in November 2010, becoming the first woman elected to that position.
James Cappleman is an American politician and a member of the Chicago City Council. He was elected to the Council in 2011 as the alderman for the city's 46th ward, which includes parts of the Uptown and Lakeview neighborhoods. He won re-election in 2015 and 2019.
An election took place on February 24, 2015, to elect the mayor of Chicago. The election was non-partisan and no candidate received a majority. A runoff election was held between the top two finishers on April 7, 2015, and resulted in the reelection of incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel. The elections were concurrent with the 2015 Chicago aldermanic elections.
Anthony V. Napolitano is the current Alderman for Chicago's 41st ward, located on the Northwest side and including Edison Park, Norwood Park, Oriole Park, O'Hare and Edgebrook.
Sophia D. King is an American politician and former member of Chicago City Council, who served as alderman from the 4th ward, which includes portions of the neighborhoods Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, and South Loop. King was appointed to the position in 2016 to replace retiring incumbent Will Burns. She won a special election to serve out the rest term of the term in 2017 and was re-elected to a full term in 2019. She was a member and chair of the City Council's Progressive Reform Caucus. King forwent reelection to the city council in 2023 in order to make an unsuccessful run for mayor of Chicago in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election.
Nancy Kaszak is an attorney and former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives. She was born September 21, 1950, in Chicago Heights, Illinois. She attended Elmhurst College, Roosevelt University and Northern Illinois University College of Law.
Matt Martin is an American politician who is currently serving as a member of Chicago City Council for the city's 47th ward. He won election as alderman in 2019 and was re-elected in 2023. The 47th ward includes all or parts of the North Center, Lincoln Square, Lakeview, and Uptown neighborhoods.
United Working Families (UWF) is an independent political organization based in Chicago, Illinois. It was formed in 2014 as a coalition between the Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana, Grassroots Illinois Action, and Action Now. Although it is not a formal political party, the organization recruits and trains political candidates and organizers, endorses and provides support to political candidates, and engages in community organizing. Its stated goal is to "create space for independent politics" in Chicago and Illinois and to enact a "vision for a city and a state that provides for the many, not just the wealthy few." The organization has been characterized as part of the progressive movement and the labor movement.
Brendan Reilly is an American politician who has served as alderman of Chicago's 42nd ward since 2007, when he unseated septuagenarian incumbent Burton Natarus. He served as Vice Mayor of Chicago, being elected to that position by the Chicago City Council, from 2015 to 2019. From May 2019 to May 2023, he served as President pro tempore of the Council, which means that he presided over council proceedings in the mayor's absence.
The 2023 Chicago mayoral election was held on February 28, 2023, to elect the mayor of Chicago, Illinois. With no candidate receiving a majority of votes in the initial round of the election, a runoff election was held on April 4. This two-round election took place alongside other 2023 Chicago elections, including races for City Council, city clerk, city treasurer, and police district councils. The election was officially nonpartisan, with winner Brandon Johnson being elected to a four-year term which began on May 15.
Christopher Cohen was Alderman of the 46th Ward of Chicago from 1971 to 1977. He was first elected to the Chicago City Council on February 23, 1971, with 60% of the vote. Because he received an absolute majority, no contest was required on the April 6, 1971 run-off election date. This was the same election that brought the newcomers Dick Simpson (politician), Edward Vrdolyak, Clifford P. Kelley, Marilou Hedlund and Anna Langford to the City Council. On February 25, 1975, Cohen was reelected 1975 with 63% of the vote also requiring no contest in the subsequent April 1, 1975 runoff.
