National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the United States, today announced they have endorsed Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson in the April 4 special election for Chicago mayor.

“We are proud to endorse Brandon Johnson in his race for mayor,” said Martese Chism, RN, a Chicago nurse. “As county commissioner, Johnson has shown commitment to redirecting public funds to health care and other essential services and to putting the needs of working families before corporations and billionaires.”

“He has resisted efforts to privatize the Cook County Health and Hospital System, and as a former union public school teacher, he knows firsthand the importance of fully funded community services,” Chism added. “I’m afraid his opponent will serve the interests of wealthy real estate developers downtown and ignore the needs of underserved communities across Chicago.”

A key to the endorsement, said nurses, is Brandon’s support for the expansion of mental health care services across the city, including a “Treatment Not Trauma” approach, which would deploy mental health professionals to respond to mental health crises. His plan devotes the necessary resources and funding to address the vast disparities that exist in Chicago when it comes to access to quality healthcare.

In a recent Gallup Poll, nurses were voted the most trusted profession in the United States for the 21st consecutive year. Chicago nurses trust Johnson as the candidate who embodies their values of caring, compassion, and community.

NNOC represent 6,500 nurses in Chicago and is an affiliate of NNU.

National Nurses Organizing Committee is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 225,000 members nationwide.