Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson spent more than $30,000 of campaign funds on hair and makeup since launching his bid for office last year, according to a new report.
Johnson, who defeated incumbent mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2023, reportedly used funds donated to his Friends of Brandon Johnson campaign fund by political supporters to cover the cost of his makeup and hair appointments, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
The outlet cited election board records, which revealed that the progressive mayor spent more than $30,000 on personal grooming in the past year. Almost all the money paid makeup artist and self-described “skincare enthusiast” Denise Milloy’s Makeup Majic, which she operates out of a home on the South Side. Milloy received more than 30 payments from Johnson between 2023 and 2024, according to the Sun Times.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson gives an update on migrant issues at City Hall on Jan. 29, 2024, in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The payments in the expenditure report were listed as “Candidate makeup for TV,” “Candidate makeup for debate” or “Candidate makeup” prior to the 2023 election.
After the progressive mayor took office, the payments to the makeup artist were filed under “event expenses,” the newspaper reported.
When reached for comment, Milloy told the Sun Times she’s “not at liberty” to discuss her work as it pertains to Johnson’s campaign.
A campaign spokesperson for Johnson previously touted how a large amount of donations came from “working class people” and labor unions, the Sun Times recalled.
Brandon Johnson stands with then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot before he is sworn in as Chicago mayor on May 15, 2023, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
When questioned about Johnson’s personal grooming and spending habits, Johnson campaign adviser Bill Neidhardt told the paper in a written statement, “The mayor does not spend taxpayer dollars in preparation for the many public appearances and events he attends every day.
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“Instead, he is using his own campaign funds to pay Black and women-owned businesses a fair wage in compensation for their work in preparing the mayor and individuals associated with the campaign for public appearances, events, media segments and other availabilities.
Neidhardt added, “Hair and makeup services are commonplace among high-ranking public officials.”
The report also cites a $4,000 payment from Johnson’s campaign to a Palatine, Illinois beauty salon called Anthony Jones Salon on March 27 for “event expenses.” The salon owner, however, disputed the payment, telling the Sun Times that he never received the money and has never worked with Johnson’s campaign.
Neidhardt said that charge was mistakenly filed and that the vendor who filled out the campaign’s finance reports “wrote down the wrong” salon. AJ Styles Barber & Beauty Salon on the West Side actually received the payment, for “hair and makeup” and was involved in “multiple events,” the Sun Times reported.
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Maintaining his personal appearance seems to have been a greater priority to Johnson than to his predecessor Lightfoot, who made only four payments to a Chicago business of approximately $2,000 total for “event-makeup services” in her campaign fillings last year, according to the paper.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.