Anti-Cop Leftist Wins Chicago Mayoral Race

Brandon Johnson Wins Runoff Election Against Paul Vallas

In a fiercely contested 2023 runoff election in Chicago, Brandon Johnson emerged victorious over Paul Vallas, succeeding incumbent Lori Lightfoot. This victory ends the squabble between Democrats in the city.

Johnson will be Chicago’s fourth black mayor after Harold Washington, who held the position from 1983 to 1987, Eugene Sawyer, who served from 1987 to 1989, and Lightfoot, who became the first black female mayor in 2019.

With 99% of precincts reporting, Johnson secured 51.42% of the votes, while Vallas received 48.58%. A record of over 555,000 total votes were counted at the end of election day.

Johnson’s electoral campaign focused more on progressive values than Vallas’s. Johnson contended for comprehensive reform at all levels, aiming to enhance communities by improving mental health services, affordable housing, and education. He also stressed the need to promote detectives to combat the city’s rising crime rates.

Various national lawmakers endorsed Johnson, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), as well as the Chicago Teachers Union, which donated millions to his campaign. Johnson defied several polls taken before the election, which showed Vallas leading him by a slight margin.

Johnson’s win will likely steer the Democratic-controlled city towards a more progressive trajectory compared to previous years. If Vallas had won, stricter policing methods and a more fiscally responsible approach to education in the city would have been adopted.

Johnson will have to work diligently to collaborate with police officers and police unions, which overwhelmingly backed Vallas in the mayoral race and openly criticized Johnson’s approach to the criminal justice system.

Early voting was high for the runoff election, with Chicago voters casting 292,591 ballots before election day, including early voting and mail-in ballots.