Chicago’s Elite Fights Progressive Mayor Over Schools and Taxes

Business leaders are working to make Johnson a one-term mayor
School board race was a referendum on Johnson, teachers union

Brandon Johnson, mayor of Chicago, during an inauguration ceremony at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago in May 2023.Source: Bloomberg

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By Miranda Davis, Leslie Patton, and Isis Almeida

November 25, 2024 at 4:49 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

When Brandon Johnson was elected mayor of Chicago, the progressive politician was received with nervous caution from the city’s business leaders who’d lost patience with his predecessor.

But over the intervening 18 months the relationship has deteriorated from frosty to hostile. Business leaders are already working to curb his power, setting the stage for a challenge against him in 2027.