Chance The Rapper has said that he doesn’t plan to pursue a career in politics, but some of his supporters hope he changes his mind.
Fans of Chance have started Chano4Mayor, a site dedicated to getting Chance to run for mayor of his hometown of Chicago. The site’s intro chastises Rahm Emanuel’s record since he became mayor in 2011, citing the closure of public schools and mental health clinics, and civil rights violations like the killing of Laquan McDonald.
The site’s creators believe that Chance would be a great candidate.
“We think if you ran, you would win. And if you won, you would do a good ass job. You’re already making change in our city: your work supplying coats for people experiencing homelessness, your long-running Open Mike for high school students, and your million dollar donation to CPS all demonstrate a commitment to empowering Chicago’s marginalized populations,” the site reads. “You’d send a message that Chicago is ready for a new generation of leadership.”
Chance’s father Ken Bennett has worked as First Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Public Engagement for the City of Chicago’s Mayor’s Office, and has worked multiple jobs under Barack Obama when he was an Illinois senator and U.S. president. But Chance has said that he doesn’t plan to use politics as a platform.
Still, on his 2015 song “Somewhere In Paradise,” he rapped, “They say I’m saving my city, say I’m staying for good/they screaming ‘Chano for mayor,’ I’m thinking maybe I should.”