(The Center Square) – A website has started a petition to get U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Illinois, in the already crowded field for Chicago mayor.
The website ReadyForChuy.com started the effort to get the former runner-up in the 2015 Chicago mayoral election back on the ballot for 2023.
Garcia, a Democrat, has yet to announce his campaign for mayor. He’s running for reelection in the 4th Congressional District against Republican James Falakos and Working Class Party candidate Edward Hershey. But Garcia did not deny he could run for Chicago mayor during an August interview with ABC 7.
“I am not shutting the door completely,” Garcia said. “But, I have to tell you, I have never been as challenged or rewarded as I have been over the past three and a half years as a member of the U.S. Congress.”
The week long petition filing period for city elections begins Nov. 21.
Garcia almost defeated Rahm Emmanuel in 2015 but eventually lost in a runoff.
So far, at least nine candidates have announced they will run for election, looking to replace incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has been in office since 2019 and is running for re-election.
Kam Buckner, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, Frederick Collins, a law enforcement officer, and Ja’Mal Green, an activist, all have announced their campaigns.
Buckner, who is running for reelection unchallenged in the state’s 26th House district, made public safety an issue in his mayoral announcement.
“If you talk to anybody in Chicago, ask them if they feel safer,” Buckner said. “Ask them if they feel like there is a plan for our school system. If they are business owners, ask them if they are being supported, and many of the answers will be no.”
Several city council members have also announced their campaigns, as Sophia King, Raymond Lopez, and Roderick Sawyer have decided to run.
Earlier this month, King announced her plan to stop crime in Chicago. The plan includes hiring over 1,000 retired officers to work large events, using drones to follow carjacking suspects, and offering $5,000 signing bonuses for law enforcement.
When asked about her challengers in August, Lightfoot said her record speaks for itself.
“I think I have a record of accomplishment over these last three and half years that demonstrates real progress and delivery for the residents of this city,” Lightfoot said. “I am going to be focused on the two things that are my two top priorities which are public safety and making sure we have an equitable and inclusive recovery. People are going to jump in.”
The 2023 Chicago mayoral primary election will be held on Feb. 28. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a runoff election will be held on April 4, 2023.
