Despite Mayor Johnson’s Plummeting Approval Ratings, Chicago Should Be Wary of the Political Cabal

His approval ratings are at ebb, but Mayor Johnson does maintain support

The most recent poll shows Mayor Brandon Johnson’s approval rating hitting rock bottom — 6.6 percent — among the lowest of any politician in U.S. history. For those paying attention, the writing on the wall is clear: Johnson is a “one and done” mayor. This should come as no surprise given his thin résumé, lackluster record in office, and pursuit of a radical agenda further to the left of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

It was evident from the outset that Johnson’s loyalty lay not with the residents of Chicago, but with his former employer and political benefactors — Stacy Davis Gates and the CORE caucus of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). His blatant deference to the CTU’s destructive interference in Chicago Public Schools — from pressuring CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to take out an irresponsible loan to supporting the CTU’s contract demands that will bankrupt the district and damage city finances — has been obvious to many. A successful mayor governs for all, not merely their political base.

With Chicago’s decline accelerating and Johnson’s approval ratings cratering just 19 months into his term, political jockeying to replace him in 2027 is already underway. The Democratic Party’s establishment apparatus — politicians, lobbyists, crony capitalists, and the cottage industries tethered to the party — is desperately searching for a candidate who can reclaim City Hall.

Compounding their desperation is the return of Donald Trump to the White House. Trump 2.0 will be far more aggressive than his first term, shutting out Democratic power brokers from federal agencies, board seats, and the lucrative flow of federal dollars. With access cut off, the cabal will turn its full attention to controlling Chicago — one of the last remaining buffets for the Democratic machine.

Enter their favorite son: Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel is actively seeking his next gig but finds himself with little to offer. Today, the former mayor and former ambassador to Japan can no longer broker access to the powerful, nor can he secure government contracts for the influential. Reduced to hustling interviews at the Economic Club, showing up at Trump-bashing press conferences, and relying on his Hollywood agent brother for relevance, Emanuel is a man in search of purpose.

On Bill Maher’s show, Emanuel recently scolded Democrats for losing their way — conveniently after the party imploded by embracing identity politics and pushing Kamala Harris onto the ticket to replace Joe Biden. He lectured Maher and Fareed Zakaria on the importance of focusing on the basics — strong finances, quality schools, and safe streets.

Yet Emanuel’s own record proves him a fraud.

Emanuel's idea of “strong finances” was burdening Chicagoans with the largest property tax hikes in city history while driving the city further into insolvency. His vision of “quality schools” amounted to social promotion — bragging about historic graduation rates while ignoring abysmal test scores. He botched school closures and then caved to the CTU by refusing to let charter schools occupy shuttered buildings.

It was Emanuel’s public slights against teachers which radicalized the CTU, spawning the militant CORE caucus that now controls the union and has inflicted much damage on the city. His “safe streets” agenda stripped 2,200 police positions — including hundreds of detectives — only to quietly restore those positions in his second term as he prepared for reelection. His legacy is forever tarnished by the coverup of the Laquan McDonald shooting, scapegoating Chicago police to save his own political skin.

Perhaps the McDonald coverup has permanently ended Emanuel’s mayoral ambitions. However, if Andrew Cuomo — the disgraced former New York governor responsible for hundreds of COVID nursing home deaths — thinks he can stage a comeback as New York City mayor, why wouldn’t Emanuel believe he has a shot at City Hall once again?

Chicago’s community leaders must be wary of the cabal sticking the city with another mediocre candidate. Organizing must begin now to challenge aspiring candidates on their specific solutions, track records, and willingness to defy the CTU. The 2027 mayoral election cannot be another beauty pageant — it must be substantive.

Any serious candidate must pass one litmus test: The political courage to say “enough” to the CTU.

Chicago Public Schools now spends $30,000 per student — a staggering 46 percent increase since 2019 — while enrollment has dropped 10 percent. The district has added 9,000 full-time staff in that time, resulting in one employee for every 7.6 students and 22,000 non-teaching positions — more than 12,000 higher than the number of officers employed by the Chicago Police Department.

Despite this spending spree, student performance remains abysmal, while the CTU works to limit charter and magnet school alternatives to failing neighborhood schools.

Chicago is also enduring a violent crime pandemic. Johnson’s inattention to public safety has left the city leading the nation in mass shootings, mass murders, and overall violent crime — most of which go unsolved. In 2024 alone, 285 school-age children were shot, 41 of whom were killed.

Police shortages leave half of all high-priority 911 calls unanswered, while the SAFE-T Act has flooded the streets with repeat violent offenders. Under the new pre-trial release rules, 20 percent of arrestees out on bond for felonies are rearrested while awaiting trial.

Meanwhile, the CTA is on the verge of financial collapse, facing a dramatic drop in ridership as COVID relief funds dry up. The mayor’s refusal to acknowledge that crime is driving the ridership exodus reveals his indifference to the problem. The number of CPD officers assigned to the CTA is barely higher than Johnson’s own security detail — while the CTA squanders money on private security guards with no law enforcement authority.

These issues — public safety, fiscal solvency, and failing schools — must dominate the next mayoral election. While the prevailing sentiment may be that “anyone would be better than Mayor Johnson,” voters must set a higher bar.

The next mayor must possess the political will to break the iron grip of progressivism and chart a bold plan not merely to slow Chicago’s decline — but to reverse course entirely.

Chicago is facing fiscal collapse, failing schools, and an ongoing pension crisis — all of which are strangling the city’s ability to serve its residents.

Mayor Johnson is not solely responsible for Chicago’s steep decline. Nevertheless, the city deserves a mayor with the vision, competence, and courage to pull Chicago back from the brink — before the city slides into oblivion.