A new poll by M3 Strategies reveals that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), and its president, Stacy Davis Gates, are facing low favorability ratings among city residents.
Commissioned by the Libertarian Illinois Policy Institute, the survey included a diverse range of Chicagoans. Reflecting the city’s political leanings, 86% of respondents identified as moderate or liberal, while 14% identified as conservative.
The poll, conducted from Jan. 21-23 with 798 voters, found that only 14% of respondents viewed Mayor Johnson favorably, while 80% held an unfavorable opinion.
The CTU fared slightly better but still received negative marks: 28.8% of respondents had a favorable view, while 60.2%viewed the union unfavorably.
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates, who recently faced backlash for controversial remarks about special needs students, had an 18.5% favorability rating, with 55.4% holding an unfavorable opinion.
The results highlight growing dissatisfaction with city leadership and the powerful teachers’ union, suggesting potential challenges ahead for both Johnson and the CTU.
Last month, American Faith reported that the Mayor’s Office accepted hundreds of gifts, including designer handbags, jewelry, and luxury accessories, without publicly reporting them, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The OIG report revealed that, under a decades-old unwritten policy, gifts accepted on behalf of the City were recorded in a private logbook, rather than being publicly disclosed through the Board of Ethics and the City Comptroller, as required by law.
OIG officials conducted an undercover visit to City Hall and requested to see the logbook but were denied access and told to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. After submitting the request covertly, they received no timely response—effectively a denial.