Fans Launch Campaign Urging Chance the Rapper to Run for Mayor of Chicago

A group of Chance the Rapper fans have started a campaign urging Chance to run for mayor of Chicago, the Sun-Times reports. The campaign, Chano4Mayor2k19, takes its name from a line on Chance’s 2015 song “Somewhere in Paradise” (“They screamin’, ‘Chano for mayor,’ I’m thinkin’ maybe I should”). The group would like to see Chance run in 2019, when he would challenge incumbent Rahm Emanuel, who has won the past two elections. On the site, the group writes, “Hey Chance, We think you’d be a great mayor.” They continue, “You represent Chicago on the world stage, and you do us proud,” and also cite Chance’s community work, including his drive to give coats to homeless people and his Open Mike nights. Check out the site here. Pitchfork has reached out to Chance the Rapper’s representatives for comment.

Recently, Chance has been advocating for Chicago Public Schools. He first met with Illinois governor Bruce Rauner about “important issues affecting the state.” He then announced a $1 million donation to CPS. Weeks later, at a press conference from a Chicago high school, he revealed that another $2.2 million has been raised since the initial March donation.

Earlier this year, Chance and his father were named board members at the city’s DuSable Museum of African American History. Chance’s father, Ken Bennett, famously worked for Barack Obama while he was in the Senate. He was also formerly the deputy chief of staff for Emanuel.

Read “Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring World Brightens Up Chicago” on the Pitch.

via Matthew Strauss