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Timeline of events in Chicago's 2019 mayoral election
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| 2019 Chicago elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: November 26, 2018 |
| General election: February 26, 2019 Runoff election: April 2, 2019 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor, City Council, City Clerk, & City Treasurer |
| Total seats up: 53 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Chicago mayoral election |
| Runoff election overview |
| General election overview |
| Major issues |
| Candidates' key messages |
| Timeline of events |
| History of the office |
| Other Chicago elections |
| Chicago City Council |
| Chicago City Clerk & Treasurer |
| City elections in Chicago |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2019 |
This page provides a timeline of significant events that took place throughout the 2019 general election for Chicago mayor.
Fourteen candidates were on the ballot on February 26, 2019. Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle advanced to a runoff election, which was held April 2, 2019.
Click here for full coverage of Chicago's 2019 general election.
Click here for full coverage of the runoff election.
Below, you will find:
- Timeline: List of significant events
- Petition challenges: List of events related to the petition challenge process
- Candidate announcements: List of candidate entrances to and exits from the race before the Nov. 26, 2018, filing deadline
- Debates and forums: List of candidate debates and forums with links to videos and further coverage
Timeline
- February 26, 2019: The general election took place. Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle advanced to an April 2 runoff election. According to unofficial results, Lightfoot received 17.5 percent of the vote to Preckwinkle's 16 percent. Bill Daley was third with 14.8 percent and Willie Wilson fourth with 10.6 percent of the vote.
- February 13, 2019: Bill Daley was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune editorial board.
- February 8, 2019: Lori Lightfoot was endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times.
- February 6, 2019: Lori Lightfoot released her first TV ad, in which she said, "Candidates try distancing themselves from Ed Burke, but truth is, they're all tied to the same broken Chicago machine, except me."
- January 31, 2019: Former mayoral candidate Dorothy Brown, who was removed from the ballot, endorsed Amara Enyia in the race.
- January 30, 2019: Fioretti released his first TV ad, saying he would resolve the city's pension problem without raising taxes and bring police and the community together.
- January 28, 2019: Amara Enyia released her first TV ad, describing herself as the candidate who is not "part of the corruption and system that got us here in the first place."
- January 23, 2019: A poll commissioned by the Chicago Sun-Times found 26 percent undecided. Toni Preckwinkle (13 percent) and Bill Daley (12 percent) tied for most support within the margin of error. Gery Chico, Susana Mendoza, and Willie Wilson each received 9 percent.
- January 23, 2019: Jerry Joyce released his first TV ad containing biographical information and directing viewers to his campaign website.
- January 22, 2019: Dorothy Brown was removed from the ballot. The Chicago Board of Elections decided that Neal Sáles-Griffin could remain on the ballot. These decisions resolved the final two petition challenges in the mayoral race, finalizing a 14-candidate field.[1]
- January 17, 2019: Early voting at the Loop Super Site, initially scheduled to start on this date, was delayed. At that time, two candidates in the mayoral race faced outstanding petition challenges: Dorothy Brown and Neal Sáles-Griffin.
- January 15-17, 2019: The Chicago Tribune editorial board met with 14 candidates across three forums as part of its endorsement process.
- January 15, 2019: Quarterly campaign finance reports were due.
- January 10, 2019: WGN TV hosted the first televised candidate forum in the 2019 mayoral race.
- January 6, 2019: Susana Mendoza released her first TV ad. A figure for Mendoza's ad buy was not available.[3]
- January 3, 2019: Gery Chico spent $1 million on TV ads for cable and broadcast that went on air January 3.
- December 31, 2018: Ja'Mal Green withdrew from the mayoral race. Green stated that the petition challenge against him, launched by Willie Wilson's campaign lawyer, left his campaign without sufficient resources to continue.[4]
- December 6, 2018: Bill Daley aired his first TV ad of the race with an ad buy of at least $101,000. Willie Wilson made smaller TV ad buys earlier in the year; Daley's was the first six-figure TV ad expenditure.[5]
- December 6, 2018: Toni Preckwinkle was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union and two affiliates of the Service Employees International Union. The following day, the SEIU Illinois Council PAC Fund contributed $1 million to Preckwinkle's campaign.
- November 26, 2018: A total of 21 candidates filed to run for mayor by the filing deadline.[6]
Petition challenges
- January 22, 2019: Dorothy Brown was removed from the ballot. The Chicago Board of Elections decided that Neal Sáles-Griffin could remain on the ballot.[1]
- January 2, 2019: The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners removed Catherine Brown D'Tycoon and Roger Washington from the mayoral race amid petition challenges.[7]
- December 27, 2018: The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners announced that three candidates had been disqualified from the ballot. Richard Mayers and Conrein Hykes Clark did not have the required number of valid signatures, and Sandra Mallory filed her petitions incorrectly, a board spokesperson said.[8]
- December 24, 2018: Toni Preckwinkle's campaign withdrew its challenge of Lori Lightfoot's petitions after the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners found Lightfoot to have the required number of valid signatures.[9]
- December 19, 2018: Toni Preckwinkle's campaign withdrew its challenge of Susana Mendoza's petitions after an underway record exam by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners found Mendoza to have the required number of valid signatures.[10]
- December 17, 2018: Paul Vallas withdrew his challenge of Garry McCarthy's petitions, saying it would be too time-consuming and expensive to pursue.[11]
- December 12, 2018: Jerry Joyce withdrew his challenge of Bill Daley's petitions, citing difficulties locating people who circulated Daley's petitions.[12]
- December 3, 2018: Challenges to candidates' nominating petitions needed to be filed by this date. The petitions of 12 candidates were challenged. Click here for more details on which campaigns filed challenges against which candidates.
Candidate announcements
- November 26, 2018: William Kelly and William "Dock" Walls, III, who previously announced they would run for mayor, did not file to run by the deadline.[6]
- November 26, 2018: Former 2nd Ward Alderman and 2015 mayoral candidate Bob Fioretti announced that he was filing to run in the mayoral race.[13]
- November 14, 2018: Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza (D) announced she was entering the race.[14]
- November 13, 2018: Troy LaRaviere exited the race, saying he would not be able to obtain 12,500 signatures by the filing deadline.[15]
- October 31, 2018: Illinois state Representative La Shawn Ford entered the race.[16]
- September 29, 2018: Police officer Roger L. Washington entered the race.[17]
- September 20, 2018: Former chief of staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley Gery Chico and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle entered the race.[18][19]
- September 18, 2018: TV producer William Kelly announced he would run for mayor.[20]
- September 17, 2018: Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley entered the race.[21]
- September 10, 2018: Businessman William "Dock" Walls, III announced he was running. He ran for the seat in 2015 and 2011.[22]
- September 4, 2018: Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced he would not seek a third term[23]
- August 28, 2018: Lawyer and 2015 mayoral candidate Amara Enyia entered the race.[24]
- May 10, 2018: Former Chicago Police Board President Lori Lightfoot entered the race.[25]
- May 8, 2018: Attorney John Kozlar entered the race.[26]
- May 2, 2018: Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas entered the race.[27]
- April 22, 2018: Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown entered the race.[28]
- April 21, 2018: Entrepreneur Neal Sáles-Griffin entered the race.[29]
- April 18, 2018: Community activist Ja'Mal Green entered the race.[30]
- March 27, 2018: Businessman and 2015 mayoral candidate Willie Wilson entered the race.[31]
- January 16, 2018: Former Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy entered the race.[32]
- January 16, 2018: Former public school principal Troy LaRaviere entered the race.[33]
Debates and forums
February 14-19, 2019
WTTW hosted televised candidate forums. All 14 candidates participated across three forums.
First forum: Bob Fioretti, Jerry Joyce, John Kozlar, Neal Sáles-Griffin. View video here.
Second forum: Bill Daley, Susana Mendoza, Toni Preckwinkle, Paul Vallas, Willie Wilson. View video here.
Third forum: Gery Chico, Amara Enyia, La Shawn Ford, Lori Lightfoot, Garry McCarthy. View video here.
February 9, 2019
Amara Enyia, Bob Fioretti, La Shawn Ford, John Kolzar, Lori Lightfoot, Toni Preckwinkle, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson participated in a forum hosted by the Chicago West Side NAACP. Candidates discussed topics including education, public safety, ethics reform, and investment in the West Side.
For coverage of the forum, click here.
February 8, 2019
FOX32 hosted a forum featuring Bill Daley, Amara Enyia, La Shawn Ford, Lori Lightfoot, and Garry McCarthy. Topics discussed included crime, ethics reform, CPS under-enrollment, and property taxes.
View a video here.
February 7, 2019
FOX32 and The Lincoln Forum hosted a televised forum. Five candidates who led in a Lincoln Forum poll were invited: Toni Preckwinkle, Bill Daley, Gery Chico, Willie Wilson, and Susana Mendoza. Daley withdrew from the forum to attend an event accepting the endorsement of the Plumbers Local Union 130, and Paul Vallas took his spot. Candidates discussed ethics reform, crime, pensions, school closings, and more.
View a video of the forum here.
February 6, 2019
WGN and Crain's Chicago Business hosted a forum attended by Gery Chico, Bill Daley, Amara Enyia, Lori Lightfoot, Garry McCarthy, Susana Mendoza, Toni Preckwinkle, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson. Topics discussed included the city's finances, crime, and who the candidates would vote for besides themselves.
Hear audio of the forum here.
February 5, 2019
The Chicago Sun-Times interviewed 13 candidates in the race (all except Neal Sáles-Griffin) across two panels as part of its endorsement process.
View videos of the Sun-Times forums here and here.
February 5, 2019
The North River Commission hosted a forum attended by Bob Fioretti, Jerry Joyce, John Kozlar, Lori Lightfoot, and Paul Vallas. Candidates discussed a range of issues, including marijuana legalization, a Chicago casino, a moratorium on charter schools, and aldermanic privilege.
Click here for coverage from WTTW.
February 2, 2019
Eleven candidates—all except Bill Daley, Jerry Joyce, and Neal Sáles-Griffin—attended a forum held by Chicago Women Take Action Alliance. Candidates were divided into two panels. They discussed a range of issues, including education, women's pay, violent crime, and policing. Candidates were required to fill out a 22-question candidate survey before attending the forum. View the survey and candidates' responses here.
View videos of the forums here and here.
Read coverage from the Chicago Sun-Times here.
January 28, 2019
Nine candidates attended a forum hosted by the Chicago Association of Realtors: Gery Chico, Bob Fioretti, La Shawn Ford, John Kozlar, Lori Lightfoot, Susana Mendoza, Garry McCarthy, Toni Preckwinkle, and Paul Vallas. The discussion included rent control, the city's building code, and affordable housing.
Coverage:
January 27, 2019
Gery Chico, La Shawn Ford, Susana Mendoza, Toni Preckwinkle, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson attended a forum at the National Association of Letter Carriers Union Hall. Topics discussed included policy around autonomous vehicles and ridesharing services.
View coverage here.
January 25, 2019
Gery Chico, Lori Lightfoot, Garry McCarthy, Toni Preckwinkle, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson participated in a forum at the Union League Club. Candidates discussed a range of topics, including city council reforms, a proposed Lincoln Yards development project, and campaign finance reform.
View a video of the forum here.
Coverage:
January 21, 2019
A forum at Liberty Baptist Church included Gery Chico, Amara Enyia, Bob Fioretti, La Shawn Ford, John Kozlar, Lori Lightfoot, Garry McCarthy, Susana Mendoza, Toni Preckwinkle, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson. Among topics discussed were criminal justice reform and reactions to the sentencing of former police officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot and killed Laquan McDonald in 2014.
View coverage of the forum here.
January 20, 2019
Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) hosted a forum featuring candidates Amara Enyia, Bob Fioretti, La Shawn Ford, John Kozlar, Lori Lightfoot, Garry McCarthy, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson. Topics discussed included funding for Chicago State University, policing issues, and access to public transportation.
Click here for a video of the event.
January 15-17, 2019
The Chicago Tribune editorial board met with 14 candidates across three forums as part of its endorsement process.
First forum: Gery Chico, Bill Daley, La Shawn Ford, Toni Preckwinkle, and Willie Wilson
Second forum: Dorothy Brown, Bob Fioretti, John Kozlar, Susana Mendoza, and Paul Vallas
Third forum: Amara Enyia, Jerry Joyce, Lori Lightfoot, and Garry McCarthy
View videos of the three forums here.
January 17, 2019
At a forum at Whitney Young Magnet High School, students asked 11 mayoral candidates questions on teacher contracts, school board selection method, marijuana legalization, and a new police training facility.
Coverage:
January 12, 2019
All candidates but La Shawn Ford, Neal Sáles-Griffin, and Jerry Joyce attended a forum hosted by One Chicago for All Alliance. Candidates discussed several policy issues, including policing.
Coverage:
January 10, 2019
WGN TV hosted the first televised forum in the 2019 mayoral race, which was attended by all candidates except Toni Preckwinkle and Neal Sáles-Griffin. Topics discussed included whether Ald. Edward Burke (facing an extortion charge) should resign, whether there should be term limits for aldermen and mayors, school and teacher pension funding, crime reduction, improving relations between police and communities, whether there should be a city casino, and recreational marijuana legalization.
Click here to view a video of the forum.
Additional coverage:
December 17, 2018
The Garfield Park Chamber of Commerce hosted a forum focused on economic development in the city's West Side. Candidates in attendance were Dorothy Brown, Catherine Brown D'Tycoon, Amara Enyia, Bob Fioretti, Ja'Mal Green, Lori Lightfoot, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson.
Click here for coverage.
December 13, 2018
The group Access Living hosted two forums with a total of 10 mayoral candidates focused on issues affecting residents with disabilities. The first forum was attended by Dorothy Brown, Gery Chico, Lori Lightfoot, Garry McCarthy, Toni Preckwinkle, and Paul Vallas. The second included Amara Enyia, La Shawn Ford, John Kozlar, and Susana Mendoza.
Click here to view videos of the forums.
December 11, 2018
Two forums were held.
A forum hosted by the 38th Ward Democratic Organization included 10 candidates: Paul Vallas, Willie Wilson, Susana Mendoza, Garry McCarthy, Toni Preckwinkle, Amara Enyia, La Shawn Ford, Lori Lightfoot, Gery Chico, and Ja'Mal Green. Issues discussed included crime, policing, economic development, affordable housing, and education policy.
Click here to view a video of the forum.
Another forum was hosted by the Chicago Housing Initiative and featured six candidates: Dorothy Brown, Amara Enyia, Lori Lightfoot, Garry McCarthy, Ja'Mal Green, and Toni Preckwinkle. The candidates each discussed their support for a commcunity benefits agreement attached to the Obama Presidential Center project that would be aimed at guaranteeing jobs and protecting housing for residents near the library.
Click here for coverage of the forum.
December 5, 2018
A high school in the North Side held a forum attended by six candidates: Dorothy Brown, Gery Chico, Amara Enyia, Ja'Mal Green, John Kozlar, and Garry McCarthy.
Click here for coverage of the forum.
November 19, 2018
Toni Preckwinkle, Susana Mendoza, Amara Enyia, Paul Vallas, and Lori Lightfoot participated in a forum hosted by several organizations, including the Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Healthcare, and Grassroots Illinois Action. The title of the forum was "The Great Displacement — Candidate Forum on Reversing African-American Pushout and Building a Chicago for the Many."
Click here to view a video of this forum.
Click here for coverage from the Chicago Tribune.
Click here for Chicago Sun-Times coverage.
November 12, 2018
The Business Leadership Council hosted a candidate forum, which was attended by Gery Chico, Amara Enyia, Lori Lightfoot, Toni Preckwinkle, and Paul Vallas.
Click here to view a video of the event.
November 10, 2018
Amara Enyia, La Shawn Ford, Ja’Mal Green, John Kozlar, Paul Vallas, William Walls, and Roger Washington met for a debate at Greater St. John Bible Church.
Click here for coverage of the event from the Chicago Sun-Times.
July 25, 2018
The following mayoral candidates participated in a forum hosted by 33rd Ward committeeman Aaron Goldstein (D): Dorothy Brown, Amara Enyia, Ja'Mal Green, John Kozlar, Troy LaRaviere, Lori Lightfoot, Garry McCarthy, Paul Vallas, and Willie Wilson.
Click here to view a video of the forum.
July 19, 2018
Dorothy Brown, Ja’Mal Green, Paul Vallas, Willie Wilson, Troy LaRaviere, Lori Lightfoot, and Garry McCarthy participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Independent Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization.
Click here to view a video of the forum.
See also
| Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chicago Tribune, "Chicago mayoral ballot set at 14 after city elections board rules Dorothy Brown won't appear on ballot and Neal Sales-Griffin will," January 22, 2019
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "'Make Chicago safe again.' Garry McCarthy talks up policing chops in 2 new campaign ads," January 11, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chicago Tribune, "Toni Preckwinkle's first TV ad of Chicago mayor's race focuses on Laquan McDonald," January 9, 2019
- ↑ ABC Chicago, "Candidate Ja'Mal Green backs out of mayoral race," December 31, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Bill Daley promises property tax freeze in his first TV ad for Chicago mayor," December 6, 2018
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfiled - ↑ ABC Chicago, "Chicago Mayoral Race: 2 candidates nixed from ballot, others continue campaigning," January 2, 2019
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Chicago elections board bumps 3 mayoral candidates from February ballot," December 27, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Lightfoot stays on mayoral ballot; Preckwinkle campaign drops petition challenge," December 24, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Toni Preckwinkle drops challenge to Susana Mendoza's mayoral petitions," December 20, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Paul Vallas drops challenge to Garry McCarthy ballot signatures in Chicago mayor's race," December 17, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Bill Daley’s spot on mayoral ballot safe after Jerry Joyce ditches challenge," December 12, 2018
- ↑ WGNTV, "Former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti officially enters mayor’s race," November 26, 2018
- ↑ ABC Chicago, "Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza officially announces Chicago mayoral run," November 14, 2018
- ↑ CBS Chicago, "Former CPS Principal Troy LaRaviere Drops Out Of Race For Mayor," November 13, 2018
- ↑ NBC Chicago, "State Rep. La Shawn Ford Announces Run for Chicago Mayor," October 31, 2018
- ↑ Twitter, "Roger L. Washington on September 29, 2018," accessed November 12, 2018
- ↑ NBC Chicago, "Gery Chico Announces Run for Chicago Mayor: 'Chicago is at the Crossroads'," September 20, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "'I'm doing this because I can': Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle launches run for Chicago mayor," September 20, 2018
- ↑ The Beverly Review, "William Kelly announces run for mayor," September 18, 2018
- ↑ WGNTV, "‘I’m not going to change the name’: Bill Daley officially running for mayor," September 17, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Sun Times, "Orr not? Cook County clerk opts out of mayoral race, as others move in," September 10, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he won't run for re-election next year," September 4, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Morning Spin: Amara Enyia marks 11th challenger to enter crowded race against Mayor Rahm Emanuel," August 28, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Ex-police board president running for Chicago mayor," May 10, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "John Kozlar on May 8"
- ↑ CBS Chicago, "Former Chicago Schools CEO Paul Vallas Announces Mayoral Campaign," May 2, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Dorothy Brown brushes aside federal probe, announces run for Chicago mayor," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Tech entrepreneur Neal Sales-Griffin announces mayoral bid against Rahm Emanuel," April 21, 2018
- ↑ WGN-TV, "Chicago activist Ja’Mal Green to run for mayor," April 19, 2018
- ↑ NBC Chicago, "Willie Wilson Announces Run for Mayor," March 27, 2018
- ↑ WGN-TV, "Garry McCarthy officially running for mayor of Chicago," March 21, 2018
- ↑ Scapi Magazine, "Former Principal Troy LaRaviere Announces Chicago Mayoral Bid," January 17, 2018
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