BRANDON JOHNSON
Democrat for Cook County Commissioner (1st District)
Brandon Johnson is a husband and father who is raising his family on the Westside of Chicago in the Austin neighborhood. Brandon and Stacie have been married for 19 years and have three children: Owen, Ethan, and Braedyn.
Born and raised in a working class community. Brandon is one of ten children, growing up with a host of cousins and foster siblings. His father Pastor Andrew Johnson, a retired state public employee and mother Wilma ‘Jean’ Johnson, served as leaders in the Church of God in Christ.
Brandon has been a public servant for nearly 20 years. After working his way through college, Brandon taught social studies and reading in Chicago Public Schools at Jenner Academy Elementary and Westinghouse College Prep. It was at Jenner Elementary School, in the Cabrini-Green neighborhood that Brandon’s passion and commitment to social and economic justice peaked. While his students were bright, energetic and full of promise, they lived in a neighborhood struggling to survive under the weight of poverty and high levels of unemployment and violence. Learn more >
Platform:
- Committed to ensuring that men and women have jobs that pay a livable wage so they can care for their families.
- Ensuring that healthcare is not a privilege but a right.
- Will fight for progressive revenue to stabilize our county budget. Will not watch another budget season where the leadership of our county makes choices that harm people and lets wealthy-well connected corporations off the hook.
- Will protect domestic violence services and make healthcare accessible and affordable.
Why UN35 has endorsed this candidate:
- As a labor leader, activist, and public school teacher, Brandon has consistently championed the progressive values and vision held by UN35.
- As a CTU organizer he has led efforts to pass legislation calling for an elected representative school board, stronger oversight of private charter operators, and an elimination of tax breaks and slush funds for the 1%.
- He’s worked to elect Bernie Sanders and was a Sanders delegate to the DNC, and he supported the election of Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and progressive aldermanic candidate Tara Stamps.
- He is building an IPO on the West Side.