Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates has vowed to take to the streets to gather petition signatures to help Mayor Brandon Johnson secure a second term, offering to step in if the mayor does not launch his own re-election drive.

«I hope to see Mayor Johnson come off the sideline and I hope to see the people who support him get out here and pass a petition. If he's not going to pass one, I'll pass one for him,» Davis Gates told WTTW News on Tuesday.

Davis Gates framed Johnson's tenure as a victory for public education in Chicago, contrasting his record with state-level funding decisions. «Where the governor has failed to fund our schools, the mayor has given us a billion dollars... I don't think we've done better at Chicago Public Schools than under [Johnson's] leadership,» she said. «And so I'm looking forward to that progress.»

Johnson, a former public school teacher, union organizer, and CTU legislative coordinator, won the 2023 mayoral race with the union's endorsement. He defeated incumbent Lori Lightfoot in the primary and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas in the runoff. Financial disclosures analyzed by the Illinois Policy Institute show the CTU poured more than $2.6 million directly into Johnson's campaign, while teachers unions collectively contributed more than $6 million.

Critics have accused Johnson of adopting a policy agenda shaped largely by his former employer, a charge the mayor rejected in 2023. In an interview with ABC 7 at the time, Johnson said his platform reflected a shared commitment to «uniting the city around a set of values that the people of Chicago obviously want.»

During his first term, Johnson presided over a major governance shift at the nation's third-largest school district. A 2021 state law, a longtime CTU policy objective, created a 21-member hybrid school board. After the November 2024 elections, voters selected 10 board members while Johnson appointed the remaining 11, including the board's president. Voters will elect all 21 seats in late 2026, transitioning the district to a fully elected board in January 2027.

The union's political influence has attracted scrutiny as the district grapples with an enrollment crisis and soaring operational costs. During 2024 collective bargaining negotiations, internal union documents revealed a 142-page wish list containing more than 700 demands. The Illinois Policy Institute estimated that the total cost could exceed $50 billion.

Among the union's demands were a 9% annual wage increase through 2028, full coverage for abortions and fertility treatments, $2,000 stipends per child for migrant families, fully electric bus fleets, and dedicated «gender support coordinators» at schools. The union has also drawn criticism for prioritizing political and social activism over core academics. The Washington Post editorial board called out the union's push for social justice initiatives while reading and math proficiency scores in Chicago remain at alarming lows.

Internal union documents obtained earlier this year also highlighted substantial union spending on left-wing political causes and opposition to federal immigration enforcement operations.

Davis Gates defended the union's approach, pointing to its internal democratic processes. She noted that Johnson will «also face the political action committee of the teachers union,» recalling that he once helped lead that committee before becoming mayor. «This union operates on the highest level of transparency and democracy... Turns out when you ask people to participate and engage in activities that benefit them, they will do that,» she said.

A CTU spokesperson pointed to a statement Davis Gates gave to WGN9 three months ago, in which she dismissed doubts about the union's continued alignment with Johnson ahead of potential endorsement discussions. She said Johnson would make his case to the union's political action committee, which would then issue a recommendation to the House of Delegates. «He knows that, as he used to help lead that committee, and he'll talk to our committee about what it has meant to be mayor,» Davis Gates said in that interview.

Asked about the possibility of endorsing a different candidate, Davis Gates dismissed the question. «I don't even know why that would be a question,» she said, arguing that the real debate is whether union members are satisfied with a mayor who supported lower class sizes and codified protections for what she called teaching «the truth.»

Johnson's office did not respond to a request for comment.