How Johnson's fundraising stacks up against his potential mayoral election challengers'

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago mayoral election may be more than a year away, but some candidates and potential candidates are already working to build up their campaign coffers in what could be a crowded field.

If Mayor Brandon Johnson is going to have a shot at a second term, he will have to do a lot better job at fundraising than his most recent filings show. In less than seven months, candidates can formally start passing petitions to get on the 2027 ballot, but it is never too early to raise money.

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Johnson has talked on multiple occasions about serving more than one term as mayor, but records show he has not been a prolific fundraiser so far this year. And the most recent filings show the incumbent has only raised $15,000 since Sept. 30.

"As always, in Chicago, it very expensive race in terms of the amount of money you need to run a credible campaign; $10 million-plus is what you've seen in the past. So, any candidates going to be taken seriously is going to be able to raise that kind of money and more," said ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington.

Records show Johnson currently has more than $935,000 in his campaign coffer.

But entrepreneur and political newcomer Joe Holberg, who announced in the fall he is running, reports raising more than $500,000 already.

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Congressman Mike Quigley, who also formed a mayoral committee last fall, has so far raised $177,000. But he has $1.2 million that could potentially be transferred from his congressional campaign account, should he decide to run.

"At this point his career, he's got a lot of longevity in Congress, but he's in a certain age where if he doesn't do it this time, it probably would be too late. This is his big shot," Washington said.

Two other politicians considered potential mayoral candidates also have significant war.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who announced she would not seek reelection, currently has $1.6 million in campaign funds. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is well funded should he decide to run for mayor, reporting more than $5.9 million on hand.

And while the business community is reportedly seriously looking for a candidate it can back to run against Johnson, it will take more than money to unseat him, because of his strong support from the Chicago Teachers Union and other labor groups.

"Brandon Johnson has a natural base in organizations that know how to get out the vote, that have a ground game, and it's going to be important to be able to show that you can get voters out, that you can get people to the polls," Washington said.

The CTU donated nearly $2.5 million to Johnson's first campaign, and most of his top donors were unions. They would likely be in his camp for the 2027 election season, which will be starting before we know it.