CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson launched his reelection campaign Sunday at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, opening a contest that will test whether the progressive coalition behind his 2023 victory can carry him through another citywide election. Johnson enters the race facing significant political headwinds. A recent University of Chicago Mansueto Institute poll found that only 13.6% of voters supported a potential reelection bid. He also faces a strong Democratic field that includes Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley and state Comptroller Susana Mendoza. The three challengers are generally positioned closer to the ideological center than Johnson. The mayor’s campaign is also at a financial disadvantage. Giannoulias, who has support from labor unions as well as prominent business and civic leaders, starts with nearly $22 million in campaign funds. Johnson’s political operation reported less than $1 million on hand in the latest filings. Johnson said his administration has delivered on promises made during his first campaign, citing investments in affordable housing, infrastructure and mental-health clinics, as well as declining crime rates. “I made a promise four years ago that I would work every day to build the safest, most affordable big city in America by investing in people, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” Johnson said. He is presenting the race as a choice between his working-class priorities and a politics he says favors corporations. “People are tired of corporate greed at the expense of everyday people,” Johnson said, arguing that Chicago needs a mayor willing to fight for higher wages and greater contributions from corporations. That message could help him mobilize progressive activists, including members of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America. The local chapter says its membership has grown to more than 3,200, with about 1,000 people joining over the past year. Chicago DSA co-chair Sean Duffy said recent victories by progressive and socialist candidates elsewhere have energized organizers. “People are tired of politicians who don’t deliver and who side with corporations over working-class people,” Duffy said. “There’s a palpable energy around candidates and organizations that are offering a real alternative.” Duffy also noted that Johnson faces a different challenge as an incumbent than he did as an insurgent candidate in 2023. The DSA chapter has not endorsed a candidate in the mayoral contest and is instead focusing on City Council races. It has endorsed six candidates and plans to announce more endorsements later this fall. The group is backing candidates who support stronger tenant protections, public financing of elections and higher taxes on wealthy residents and large corporations to fund city services. The strategy could also affect Johnson’s ability to govern if he wins another term: A mayor needs 26 votes on the 50-member City Council to pass legislation, and Johnson has struggled to maintain that majority during contentious budget fights. The next city budget presents another major challenge. Chicago is facing a projected $882 million gap in 2027, while Johnson has also faced criticism and political conflict over his administration’s response to federal immigration enforcement actions. The mayor’s campaign will proceed toward the February election, with a possible runoff in April. Johnson said he has no intention of abandoning the confrontational approach that has defined his first term. “If I don’t have that fight, then what’s the whole point of me being here?” he said.