Brandon Johnson, a county commissioner and former teachers’ union organizer, was elected Chicago's mayor. He takes office next month facing challenges to bring together a city divided by race and a view on how to quell persistent crime, a subject that loomed over the months-long campaign and set him apart from moderate rival Paul Vallas, who called for swelling the streets with police. With all but a few precincts reporting — but a sizable number of mail ballots left to count — Johnson led Vallas, 51 to 49percent, Politi o reports. “Tonight, Chicago chose hope over fear,” Johnson told supporters Tuesday night. “I ain’t never seen a city silence a dog whistle.”
Johnson’s victory signals a shift to the left from the already progressive governance of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Lightfoot was ousted in the first round of the election, finishing third in a field of nine candidates. Vallas, the only white candidate, came in first in the Feb. 28 election, receiving 33 percent of the vote, followed by Johnson, who is Black, at 22 percent and Lightfoot at 17 percent. Vallas conceded defeat, but said, "It’s clear based on the results tonight that the city is deeply divided.” The outcome has been closely watched as Democrats grapple with messaging over crime. Two years ago in New York, Eric Adams won his party’s nomination and, later, the general election running to the right of his fellow Democrats on criminal justice issues. Johnson, 47, said in 2020 that defunding the police was an “actual, real political goal.” In the campaigh, he said he would not defund the police if he were elected but would fund a more “holistic approach to public safety.” Vallas latched on to voters’ concerns about crime. The message resonated even though violent crime numbers are on the decline.
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