ESSAY: Chicagoans must decide whether democracy will prevail

The People is our section for opinions and perspectives. Submit your opinion to [email protected]. In the weeks preceding the 2026 midterms, even before results trickled in for Chicago’s first-ever fully elected school board race, it was clear that our democracy had been sold to the highest bidder. Jessica Biggs, our city’s next school board president, ended her campaign with 297,179 votes, compared to 188,345 and 109,421 for her opponents Dominguez and Henderson, respectively, according to Chicago Board of Elections’ Nov. 3 summary report. Her candidacy was backed by millions in spending and increasingly by one wealthy donor: Michael Sacks. Sacks, the CEO of GCM Grosvenor whose estimated net worth is about $2 billion, spent nearly $6.5 million to influence the school board race through the Common Ground Collective Super PAC, and more than twice the next highest spender. In the final month, Sacks gave $1 million directly to Biggs’ campaign.

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