Leslie Hairston

In the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, Hairston endorsed Toni Preckwinkle, declaring her support for her in advance of the first round of the election upon Preckwinkle's entrance into the mayoral race.

In October 2014, Hairston offered her Facebook followers prizes if they went and voted on November 4. "Vote–you're eligible no matter the candidate," the Facebook post read. "Then put their name and contact information on the back of their voter receipt…. And stop by the Fifth Ward office and drop it off." An election attorney told Chicago Fox News that Hairston's post violated election law because it constituted "vote buying". According to the law a candidate cannot offer anything of value including money to entice someone to vote one way or the other or simply just to vote. Hairston soon took the post down.

Hairston was elected in 1999, when she defeated an incumbent in her first race. She sits on five committees: Buildings; Rules and Ethics; Human Relations; Parks and Recreation; and Special Events and Cultural Affairs. Between January 2008 and July 2009, Hairston hired Chicago political consultant Delmarie Cobb to prepare newsletters and news releases and to publicize ward meetings for the alderman, and paid Cobb thousands of dollars from Hairston's campaign fund, as well as nearly $28,000 from a taxpayer-funded payroll account, available to aldermen with no scrutiny.

Leslie Hairston (born July 17, 1961) is an American politician who is currently alderman of the 5th ward of the City of Chicago; she was elected in 1999. Hairston is a Hyde Park native. As alderman, she represents the ward in the Chicago City Council along with representatives from the 49 other Chicago wards. She was re-elected in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.