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Chicago’s New Mayor Brandon Johnson Plunges in Approval Ratings as Violent Crime Surges

ByAlki David

Nov 16, 2023

In the wake of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first six months in office, Chicago finds itself grappling with a historically low approval rating, setting a record among Windy City mayors. Johnson, who took the reins from Lori Lightfoot, has failed to resonate with residents, especially as the city battles a surge in violent crime and contends with the controversial management of illegal border crossers.

The disapproval seems bipartisan, cutting across ideological lines, as even liberals express outrage over the city’s handling of the influx of illegal border crossers. Johnson’s mayoral tenure is quickly shaping up to be more contentious than his predecessor’s, with many Chicagoans dubbing him a worse mayor than Lightfoot.

A recent poll conducted by the Illinois Policy Institute, in collaboration with the conservative-leaning Echelon Insights, paints a bleak picture for Johnson. The survey reveals a staggering 28% approval rating, marking the lowest for any Chicago mayor at the onset of their term in modern history. This figure is merely a hair above the approval ratings of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot when she faced defeat in her reelection bid and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the aftermath of the Laquan McDonald shooting in 2016.

The gravity of Johnson’s low approval becomes even more apparent when compared to the city’s historical data. Throughout the decades, Chicago mayors have typically enjoyed a surge in popularity during the initial stages of their terms. However, Johnson seems to be an outlier, mirroring the disappointing ratings of former Mayor Michael Bilandic in 1979, who secured only 33% approval.

As Chicago navigates the challenges of rising crime rates and contentious immigration issues, Mayor Brandon Johnson faces an uphill battle to regain public trust and approval. The city, known for its political dynamism, now stands at a critical juncture with an embattled leader at the helm.

By Alki David

Alki David — Publisher, Media Architect, SIN Network Creator - live, direct-to-public communication, media infrastructure, accountability journalism, and independent distribution. Born in Lagos, Nigeria; educated in the United Kingdom and Switzerland; attended the Royal College of Art. Early internet broadcaster — participated in real-time public coverage during the 1997 Mars landing era using experimental online transmission from Beverly Hills. Founder of FilmOn, one of the earliest global internet television networks offering live and on-demand broadcasting outside legacy gatekeepers. Publisher of SHOCKYA — reporting since 2010 on systemic corruption inside the entertainment business and its expansion into law, finance, and regulation. Creator of the SIN Network (ShockYA Integrated Network), a federated media and civic-information infrastructure spanning investigative journalism, live TV, documentary, and court-record reporting. Lived and worked for over 40 years inside global media hubs including Malibu, Beverly Hills, London, Hong Kong and Gstaad. Early encounter with Julian Assange during the first Hologram USA operations proved a formative turning point — exposing the realities of lawfare, information suppression, and concentrated media power. Principal complainant and driving force behind what court filings describe as the largest consolidated media–legal accountability action on record, now before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Relocated to Antigua & Barbuda and entered sustained legal, civic, and informational confrontation over media power, safeguarding, and accountability at Commonwealth scale.