Brandon Johnson Wins Chicago Mayor's Race
On Tuesday, Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, union organizer, and former teacher, was elected the new mayor of Chicago in a runoff over Chicago Schools Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas....
Facts
- On Tuesday, Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, union organizer, and former teacher, was elected the new mayor of Chicago in a runoff over Chicago Schools Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas.1
- Johnson will replace incumbent Lori Lightfoot, who in February finished third and was eliminated during the nonpartisan general election.2
- After all Chicago precincts reported results, Johnson held a 51.4-48.6% lead, a margin of approximately 16K votes. Johnson, who ran a progressive campaign that focused on equity and the root causes of crime, said this is the start of a Chicago that “truly invests in all of its people.”3
- Vallas, a moderate Democrat, focused his campaign on crime and won the February election. Murders in Chicago spiked to their highest level in 25 years in 2021, costing Lightfoot her job.4
- Johnson once voiced his support for defunding the police but has since said he won’t cut police funding.5
- Johnson, though, intends to invest more in mental health treatment, affordable housing, and jobs for young people through $800M he says can be raised by taxing “ultrarich” people and corporations.1
Sources: 1PBS NewsHour, 2Independent, 3Forbes, 4FOX News and 5NBC.
Narratives
- Right narrative, as provided by Red State. Chicago voters have figured out a way to make things in their city worse. Under Lightfoot, Chicago became extraordinarily dangerous thanks to woke ideology. Now Chicagoans are going to continue living in a place where public safety is further at risk due to an ultra-progressive mayor. The future doesn't look good for the Windy City.
- Left narrative, as provided by MSNBC. This election proved Chicagoans aren’t going to fall for right-wing scare tactics that predict progressive reforms will lead to worse crime. Johnson plans to address Chicago’s crime problem with effective reforms — rather than just adding more cops — and also tackle social issues that lead to crime and poor relations between the police and residents. He knows how to make the city better and safer.
