Wilson Campaign Files Petition Challenge Against Mayor Johnson
Former State Sen. Rickey Hendon argues the incumbent failed to secure the required 12,500 valid signatures, threatening his re-election bid.
By Lina Lewis ·
Mayor Brandon Johnson faces a formal petition challenge that could remove his name from the November ballot. The challenge, filed on behalf of millionaire businessman Willie Wilson, alleges the mayor failed to submit the 12,500 valid signatures required for qualification. Johnson’s campaign filed 33,000 signatures on Friday, the day before the Monday deadline.
Former State Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago) is leading the effort to disqualify the incumbent. Hendon stated that his team of 20 people has spent the last ten days scrutinizing the petitions. He identified numerous defects, including photocopy issues, missing addresses, and signatures from residents living outside Chicago. Hendon predicted Johnson would become the first incumbent Chicago mayor to be disqualified from the ballot.
Hendon told the Sun-Times that the filing was poorly assembled and that the mayor should fire campaign staff. "I doubt very seriously that he has any chance of making it" on the ballot, Hendon said. He noted that some petitions belonged to other candidates, including Melissa Conyears-Ervin, and that pages contained multiple names written by the same person.
Christian Perry, Johnson’s political director, expressed confidence that the mayor will survive the challenge. Perry said the campaign expects to meet the requirements if necessary. If the challenge succeeds in lowering the valid count below 12,500, Johnson would need to obtain affidavits from the signers to prove their eligibility.
Veteran political consultant Frank Calabrese, who previously knocked out candidate Dorothy Brown in 2019, said he would be surprised if the Wilson campaign succeeds. Calabrese noted that Johnson filed 2.5 times the required number of signatures. "It’s much more likely that he’s gonna be on the ballot than off the ballot if he actually filed 33,000 signatures," Calabrese said. He added that nearly two-thirds of the signatures would have to be invalid for Johnson to lose his spot.
Victor Reyes, a political operative advising Lisa Nee’s campaign, traced the petition problems to internal issues within the Chicago Teachers Union. He cited the split between the CTU and SEIU, the rejection of a dues increase by rank-and-file teachers, and the union’s focus on school board races. Reyes suggested that the loss of politically active SEIU members may have reduced the number of high-end circulators available to Johnson.
The adjudication of these challenges will continue until December 17, when the final mayoral ballot is certified. Other candidates, including Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, are also filing objections. Giannoulias, who holds a $19.3 million war chest, challenged the petitions of attorney William J. Quinlan. Quinlan countered by promising to appeal a dismissed lawsuit regarding candidates running for multiple offices. "I’m running for one job, mayor of Chicago," Quinlan said. "They should have to pick one too."
Objections were also filed against the petitions of outgoing Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, lobbyist John Kelly, and others. Kelly’s residency is under scrutiny, as he recently built a $4.4 million home in Homer Glen. Kelly stated that a Gold Coast condominium he purchased two and a half years before the election has been his legal residence since October 2024.
