(Illinois Policy)—Under the leadership of President Stacy Davis Gates and Vice President Jackson Potter, the Chicago Teachers Union and its affiliates have become the No. 1 spender on Chicago politics.
But there is growing evidence the union’s spending is becoming a drag, rather than a boost, for candidates in competitive races.
A first-of-its-kind analysis of the union’s political spending in the 2024 Chicago school board elections by the Chicago Policy Center reveals:
- CTU spent more than $2.8 million on school board candidates. Of that, $2.1 million – 75% – went to losing candidates.
- The top recipient of CTU money in the school board elections was the Rev. Robert Jones, who ran for the 10th District board seat. Jones’ campaign received more than $516,000 from CTU and its affiliates, but he came in third place out of four candidates.
- In the six big-money races where the CTU and its affiliates spent more than $200,000 on a given candidate, five lost.
- More than one-quarter of the CTU’s total political spending flowed through entities not labeled as the Chicago Teachers Union. Those entities received money to spend on school board elections via the CTU.
These results suggest the union’s favorability rating among Chicago voters, which recent public opinion polling pegged at just 29%, could be stunting CTU leadership’s ability to influence outcomes at the ballot box.
Further, CTU leadership’s lack of transparency about how member dues are funneled to politics has become a campaign issue in the union’s upcoming May 16 internal elections, where Gates and Potter face opposition from the REAL Caucus for the office of president and vice president.
How CTU spent more than $2.8M across 12 entities on school board elections
Unlike other reporting on CTU’s spending in the November 2024 school board elections, this analysis includes not only the union’s two primary political action committees, CTU Local 1 and CTU PAC (IFT), but also 10 other groups that received most or all of their funding to spend on school board races directly from the CTU. Those groups, which combined to spend more than $798,000, include:
- United Working Families PAC: contributed $150,000 to school board candidates.
- The People’s 32nd PAC: $136,000.
- Our Schools PAC: $128,000.
- Grassroots PAC: $96,000.
- Cook County College Teachers Union: $88,000.
- ONE People’s Campaign PAC: $74,000.
- 50th Ward United Working Families: $44,000.
- Chicago Working Families: $43,000.
- Our Schools Action: $33,000.
- ONE People’s Campaign: $5,500.
Across 12 CTU political entities, the union spent more than $2,871,600 on 10 candidates for the Chicago school board. The average CTU-backed candidate received money from six different CTU entities.
The most CTU entities funding a single campaign came in District 4, where Karen Zaccor’s campaign committee received funding from nine different CTU-backed entities. Zaccor lost her election but was later appointed to the school board by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
How CTU-backed candidates performed in the school board elections
The CTU backed candidates in nine competitive school board races and one uncontested race. In the nine competitive races, their candidates lost six and won three. But CTU’s record was worse when looking only at the races where they invested significant resources. In six races where CTU and its affiliates spent more than $200,000 on a given candidate, five lost.
Ultimately, 75 cents of every dollar the union and its affiliates spent on school board races went to a losing candidate. A total of $2.1 million was spent on candidates who did not win their races.
The top recipient of CTU money in the school board elections was the Rev. Robert Jones, who ran for the 10th District board seat. Jones’ campaign received more than $516,000 from the CTU and its affiliates, but he came in third place out of four candidates.
Political spending taking center stage in CTU’s internal politics
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates and Vice President Jackson Potter are facing opposition in the internal union elections on May 16. Their opponents have highlighted Gates’ and Potter’s lack of transparency around political spending, including the union’s refusal to provide members with four years of audits. Several members were forced to sue the union to get access to those records and are being represented by the nonprofit Liberty Justice Center.
The 2024 school board elections may have marked a turning point in public perception of CTU’s political muscle.
Despite unprecedented financial firepower and deep institutional resources, CTU-backed candidates overwhelmingly failed at the ballot box. The union spent $2.1 million on losing campaigns, maybe signaling more than just a tactical misfire. It might reflect a growing voter backlash against an increasingly polarizing political agenda.
With internal elections imminent and member frustration growing over transparency and spending priorities, CTU’s leadership faces a reckoning not just with its base, but with a city that may no longer be buying what it’s selling.