Democrat Brandon Johnson has been elected mayor of Chicago, defeating his opponent, Paul Vallas, Tuesday night in nail-biting fashion. The close race was called just after 10:30 p.m. ET by the Associated Press and others, capping a hotly contested race that largely centered around questions of crime and public safety.
Johnson’s victory is a monumental one for progressives as Democrats face pushback for criminal justice reform policies amid wall-to-wall coverage of headline-grabbing crimes, especially in the conservative media.
The former Cook County commissioner and union organizer was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union and United Working Families. He even earned the support of Bernie Sanders, who came to Chicago on Thursday to rally support for Johnson.
ADVERTISEMENT
He ran on policies such as improving mental health treatment and providing Chicago’s youth with jobs. He also called for $800 million in new taxes on the city’s businesses and most wealthy.
“We have ushered in a new chapter in the history of our city,” Johnson said in a jubilant acceptance speech Tuesday night, during which he thanked God, his family, and labor unions—which he said built the city of Chicago, according to The New York Times. “There’s more than enough for everybody in the city of Chicago.”
He eventually addressed his opponent’s signature issue, and called for “investing in what actually works to prevent crime.”
“That means youth employment, mental health centers, and making sure the police department has enough resources to prevent and solve crimes.”
Vallas, meanwhile, was backed by the Fraternal Order of Police, and ran on a law-and-order platform that included filling over 1,000 police vacancies and adding plainclothes officers to patrol the city’s transit system.
Despite running as a Democrat, Vallas was widely regarded as the most far-right candidate in the field. He infamously told conservative commentator Jeff Berkowitz in 2009 that he was “more of a Republican than a Democrat.”
But Vallas’ public safety-focused message resonated strongly with Chicagoans, as polling showed crime as the top issue for voters during this election cycle. The number of homicides in Chicago hit a 25-year high in 2021 under Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s tenure, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Addressing his supporters after media had begun to project his loss, Vallas admitted that he had called Johnson to concede but said the close result showed a “deeply divided” city.
“I ran for mayor to bring this city together, and it’s clear from this result tonight that this city is deeply divided,” Vallas said. “It's critically important that we use this opportunity to come together. I've offered him my full support in this transition. I look forward to working with him and providing him with the support he needs to be successful.”
Vallas earned 32.9 percent of the vote in February’s primary election, making him the leading candidate and easily qualifying him for Tuesday’s runoff. Johnson won 21.6 percent of the vote in February, knocking Lightfoot out from the race by almost 5 percent.
Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose re-election with a third-place finish behind Johnson and Vallas in February. She made history for being the city’s first Black woman mayor—and the first openly gay person to hold the office.
