Rhymefest Smith Unopposed in District 10a Race
Che Rhymefest Smith is the only name on the Chicago School Board District 10a ballot after Tameka Walton's name was removed.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Administration
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Che Rhymefest Smith is the lone name on the ballot for Chicago School Board District 10a. Tameka Walton, whose name was removed from the ballot, is running as a write-in candidate.
Why it matters
With only one name printed, voters in District 10a will decide whether to write in a candidate, shaping who represents schools serving a largely Black student population. Smith's campaign and the write-in effort highlight a split over the Chicago Teachers Union's influence on the board.
Smith has raised more than $100,000 in campaign donations, and District 10a includes 33 schools, where more than 88% of students are Black and nearly 7% are Hispanic. The extraction does not specify the write-in threshold needed for Walton to win.
The players
Che Rhymefest Smith
Che Rhymefest Smith is a Chicago rapper and activist who won a school board seat as an independent and has been a vocal critic of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Chicago Teachers Union
The Chicago Teachers Union is the city's largest teachers' union, known for its political influence over school board elections and district policy.
The details
Smith won his District 10a seat two years ago as an independent and has consistently voted against items pushed by the Chicago Teachers Union. Walton has the union's endorsement and donations from the CTU PAC and the CTU-affiliated Our Schools PAC, but her name was removed from the ballot, leaving her to run as a write-in candidate.
Timeline
Two years before the 2026 election, Smith won his first school board seat as an independent.
In 2024, Smith faced CTU-backed candidates in his first school board election.
On November 3, 2026, the District 10a race was reported.
Legal Context
Smith's 2024 win as an independent set up a continuing contest with CTU-backed candidates in District 10a. The 2026 race extends that rivalry, with the union backing a write-in candidate after Walton's name was removed from the ballot.
Voters in District 10a must decide whether to write in Walton or accept Smith as the only printed name on the ballot. The outcome determines which representative serves 33 schools in the district.
The takeaway
Voters in District 10a face a ballot with one printed name, so understanding the write-in option and the candidates' positions on the Chicago Teachers Union is essential before Election Day.
Further reading
For more on how school governance works in the city, see Administration in Chicago education coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Chicago Sun-Times.
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