Chicago mayoral hopeful faces reckoning over past ‘defund the police’ support

CBrandon Johnson, a commissioner for Ok County, was reprimanded this week for his past supportive comments regarding the “defund the police” Chicago’s mayoral race is dominated by crime and public safety concerns.

Johnson, a Chicago Teachers Union-endorsed liberal, claimed in a series on Tuesday and Wednesday that his stance on police had not changed since he made several positive remarks about the subject. “defund” In 2020, movement after the deaths of George Floyd & Breonna Taylor.

BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTS BRANDON JOHNSON’S CHICAGO MAYORAL RACE

Johnson, along with Paul Vallas – a conservative Democrat and former head of the city’s public schools – advanced to a runoff in a neutral contest. Vallas, who has been endorsed by Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (CFCOP), has repeatedly criticized Johnson for his public safety platform.

They fought in one of several debates that took place Thursday night. Vallas and moderators asked the candidate to support the other. “defund” movement. Johnson was unaffected, insisting that he had not changed his positions or words.

“I’m not going to defund the police, and you know that. You know that,” Johnson spoke to Vallas. “I have passed multibillion-dollar budgets, over and over again.

The Cook County commissioner went on to argue that Vallas’s proposals to ramp up the hiring of more officers was slow and unrealistic before touting his own plan, which includes promoting 200 new detectives to address violent crimes and enforcing “Red flag” laws more vigorously in an effort to reduce gun violence.

“You can only inspire confidence in public safety by catching people.” Johnson said from the debate stage.

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Polls have pegged a tight race between the two, who beat incumbent Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and put an end to her political career. One recent poll conducted by Victory Research found Vallas edging out Johnson 44.9% to 39.1%.

The pair’s general election runoff is scheduled for April 4.