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 city’s powerful teachers union, as the city’s next mayor.

Johnson will defeat Paul Vallas in Tuesday’s runoff election, 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 demonstrated a “bold, progressive movement” that should serve as a model for the rest of the country.

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

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

“This campaign I ran to bring the city together would not be a campaign that fulfilled 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 full support in his transition,” Vallas said.

Vallas and Johnson were running to replace Mayor Lori Lightfoot, whose bid for a second term ended when she finished third in the nine-candidate first round on February 28 and failed to advance to the top-two runoff.

Lightfoot had clashed with two of the most powerful forces in this year’s mayor’s race: 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, during which violent crime increased and schools were closed.

Vallas campaigned 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 transit.

He also emphasized Johnson’s history of supporting calls to “defund the police,” a message that gained popularity 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. Top Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have long opposed the slogan.

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

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

Vallas and Johnson spent the weeks leading up to the runoff courting the roughly 45% of the electorate who did not vote for either candidate in February.

They were particularly 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.

Vallas’ final television advertisement touting his Democratic credentials 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 electorate of a city where 83% of voters supported the Democratic presidential ticket in 2020. He emphasized donations to Vallas’ campaign from business interests and Republicans, as well as digital ads paid for by a PAC linked to 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.