By Townhall Chicago News Staff
A crowded field of candidates filed nominating petitions by Monday’s deadline for Chicago’s February mayoral election, with Mayor Brandon Johnson having filed his petitions the previous Friday.
Candidates who filed on the final day include Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, Board of Review member George Cardenas, entrepreneur Joel Holberg, developer Zoe Ma, Chicago Department of Transportation employee Jessica Moranto, Chicago Flips Red founder Danielle Carter Walters, mayoral candidate Susanna Mendoza, cardiologist Dr. Lisa Nee, attorney William Quinlan and John Kinover, who has described himself as a Republican libertarian.
Candidates who filed on the deadline day will take part in a lottery to determine their position on the ballot.
Mendoza said she personally collected more than 3,300 signatures from voters ahead of the deadline.
“I myself got over 3,300 signatures individually talking to voters,” Mendoza said. “These aren’t just signatures, they’re conversations about people’s concerns about the direction of the city of Chicago.”
Nee, a cardiologist who announced her candidacy in July, said volunteers continued collecting signatures for her campaign through the final day.
“Every signature matters, and people were still collecting for us,” Nee said. “We wanted to show our appreciation and come on the last day with as many as we can.”
Nee has practiced medicine for more than two decades and has described herself publicly as a whistleblower over her past reporting of a backlog of unread cardiac tests at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital.
The size of the field signals a competitive race ahead of the February election. Candidates’ petitions are subject to challenge before election officials certify the ballot.
The ballot position lottery for candidates who filed on the final day has not yet been scheduled. Election officials have not announced a date for completing ballot certification.
