Community activist Ja'Mal Green joins crowded 2023 race for mayor

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The 2023 race for mayor of Chicago got a little more crowded on Tuesday, as community activist Ja'Mal Green announced a bid to unseat Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

"Chicago could be the greatest city in the world, but unfortunately it's the most corrupt. It's time for new leadership to take us into a future we can all believe in," Green said in a campaign ad.

Green went on to talk about being a father, and wanting a better Chicago for his children.

He also launched a campaign for mayor four years ago, but dropped out amid a challenge to his nominating petitions.

He's at least the seventh candidate to announce plans to challenge Lightfoot in 2023. Lightfoot kicked off her own re-election campaign last week.

Other candidates who have announced plans to challenge Lightfoot include Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th), Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), millionaire Willie Wilson, Illinois State Rep. Kam Buckner, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, and Chicago Fraternal Order of Police president John Catanzara.

Other potential candidates who have been weighing bids for mayor include Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), Ald. Sophia King (4th), Chicago Teachers Union vice president Stacy Davis Gates, Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford, and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson.