Progressive CNN predicts that Brandon Johnson will be elected mayor of Chicago, succeeding Lori Lightfoot

CNN predicts that Chicago voters will elect Brandon Johnson, a progressive Cook County commissioner backed by the powerful teachers union, as the city’s next mayor.

Johnson will defeat Paul Vallas, a moderate former city schools superintendent who campaigned on a pro-police message in a race dominated by concerns about violent crime.

Johnson told supporters that his victory had “ushered in a new chapter in the history of our city” and exemplified a “bold, progressive movement” that should serve as a model for the rest of the country.

“Now, Chicago will start working for its people – all of its people.” Because tonight marks the beginning of a new era for our city, one in which you can thrive regardless of who you love or how much money you have in your bank account,” he said.

At his election night event, Vallas stated that he had called Johnson to concede the race.

“This campaign I ran to bring the city together would not be fulfilling my ambitions if this election divides us even more.” So it’s critical that we take advantage of this opportunity to come together, and I’ve offered him my complete support during his transition,” Vallas said.

Vallas and Johnson were running to replace Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who finished third in the nine-candidate first round on February 28 and did not advance to the top-two runoff.

Lightfoot had clashed with two of the most powerful forces in the mayor’s race this year: the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, which backed Vallas, and the Chicago Teachers Union, which backed Johnson – a former teacher and union organizer.

The conflict between those two unions is part of a larger battle over how the city handled the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in an increase in violent crime and the closure of schools.

Vallas ran on a pro-police, tough-on-crime platform. After a recent spike in violent crime on Chicago Transit Authority trains and stations alarmed many commuters, he vowed to fill hundreds of vacancies in the Chicago Police Department, emphasizing community policing and placing officers on public transportation.

He also emphasized Johnson’s history of supporting calls to “defund the police,” a message that gained traction with progressives in 2020 in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd but has since faded as violent crime in Chicago and other cities has increased. President Joe Biden and other top Democrats have long opposed the slogan.

During the campaign, Johnson stated that he did not want to cut police spending. He stated that he would hire 200 new detectives, arguing that solving more crimes would increase Chicagoans’ trust in police and deter crime.

Johnson alluded to his disagreements with Vallas over crime and policing in his victory speech Tuesday night. He stated that he wants to see “a city that is safer for everyone by investing in what works to prevent crime.” That includes youth employment, mental health centers, and ensuring that law enforcement has the resources it needs to solve and prevent crimes.”

In the weeks leading up to the runoff, Vallas and Johnson courted the approximately 45% of the electorate who did not vote for either candidate in February.

They were especially interested in Black and Latino voters outside of Johnson’s progressive base and Vallas’ support in White ethnic neighborhoods and the city’s northwestern outskirts.

In his final television advertisement touting his Democratic credentials, Vallas featured Black Chicago political mainstays such as former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and former US Rep. Bobby Rush.

Johnson argued that Vallas was too conservative for the city’s electorate, which supported the Democratic presidential ticket 83% of the time in 2020. He emphasized donations to Vallas’ campaign from business interests and Republicans, as well as digital ads paid for by a PAC affiliated with former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

“When you take money from Trump supporters and try to pass yourself off as part of the progressive movement, man, sit down,” Johnson said last week at a rally in Chicago with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.