Brandon Johnson (born March 27, 1976)[1] is an American educator and politician who has served as the 57th Mayor of Chicago since 2023.[2][3][4] A member of the Democratic Party, Johnson previously served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 2018 to 2023, representing the 1st district. Johnson was first elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2018 after defeating incumbent Commissioner Richard Boykin in the Democratic primary election and winning the general election unopposed. Johnson won reelection to the County Board in 2022. Johnson was elected mayor of Chicago in 2023. In the first round of the election, he and Paul Vallas advanced to a runoff, unseating incumbent mayor Lori Lightfoot. Johnson defeated Vallas in the runoff election and was elected to serve as the 57th mayor of Chicago.[5][6] He is the city's fourth African-American mayor.[a]