Last Tuesday, the Chicago 2023 election for mayor took place. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson came out on top, advancing to the runoff election that will occur early next month. Vallas got the most votes, garnering 34%, while Johnson managed 20% of the total votes. What was really interesting, however, is who failed to clutch a spot in the runoffs: Lori Lightfoot–an incumbent and the first Chicago mayor not to receive a second term in four decades.
Given Chicago’s liberal political landscape, the election isn’t between two parties like most are. Instead, both candidates are democrats; however, both still have very different views and goals for Chicago’s future.
Vallas is 69 years old and was also the only white candidate in the election for mayor. He is supported by the Chicago police union. Meanwhile, Johnson is a 46-year-old Black man, endorsed by many Chicago teachers. These divisions are reflected in their backgrounds, with Vallas being a more moderate Democrat, even having described himself as “more of a Republican” in the past, closely aligned with Chicago’s political and economic power brokers. On the other hand, Johnson is a much more progressive Democrat with experience as a public school teacher and from Austin, one of Chicago’s largest Black neighborhoods. Their beliefs and goals further highlight their differences.
“Public safety is the fundamental right of every American,” Vallas said during his acceptance speech.
“It is a civil right, and it is the principal responsibility of government. We will have a safe Chicago, and we will make Chicago the safest city in America.”
Throughout Vallas’s career, he has made numerous attempts to privatize schools and cut down on teacher unions (noticeably the very opposite of Johnson’s goals.) However, it is clear that his most prominent goal is to fund and support the police force in Chicago. On his campaign website, he promises “suburbanites and tourists will no longer fear traveling downtown.” He plans to accomplish this by hiring around 2,000 more police officers. Vallas has also proved to have close ties with the police department before, having negotiated the city’s contract in 2021 with the police union, whose head, Jose Catanzara, notably defended the January 6 storming of the capital. These attempts at ensuring safety also line up with another goal of his that concerns civil rights and racial justice advocates and protesters: passing a public nuisance ordinance that could have the capability to punish people who “threaten, engage in, or promote looting, damage to property or violence” through prosecution and fines. “Tonight is about building a Chicago that truly invests in its people,” Johnson said during his victory speech. Johnson argued his strategy was “to get smart, not just tough” on crime.
Johnson’s more progressive goals are displayed through his advocation for policies that would, for example, tax multi-million dollar homes to source affordable housing for the homeless, end no-knock warrants, and reopen public mental health clinics (his efforts towards mental health have rewarded him with the support of local communities.) Such investments, he claims, would “de-escalate conflict and reduce violence.” As opposed to Vallas’s plans on placing extensive funding toward police and defense, Johnson has called for $1 billion in new investments in education, which would go towards training and job placement in the less-fortunate areas of Chicago. He has also pledged to cut “wasteful spending” in the city’s budget.
Although they fell short of a spot in the runoffs, in third and fourth place were Lightfoot and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, each garnering 17% and less than 14% of the total votes, respectively. As the more progressive of the two remaining contenders for mayor, it is possible that Johnson will pick up Lightfoot’s votes in the South and West sides of the city. It is much more likely that Garcia’s votes will be split between Vallas and Johnson. If Johnson continues to lack support in Latinx neighborhoods, he could be seriously disadvantaged as Latinos could tilt to Vallas or stay home on election day. Still, there is a good chance that Latino progressives will join forces with the progressive Black candidate, creating more competition, even though Vallas begins with a 14-point edge over Johnson.
As we draw closer to the election, the odds are that we will see the candidates make some strong claims in an attempt to dissuade the public from voting for the other. It is likely Vallas will argue that Johnson is trying to “defund the police,” which Johnson has previously denied. Johnson has already made it clear that he will portray Vallas as a “closet Republican” that is too conservative to lead a liberal and Democratic city. The runoff election will take place on April 4. Until then, the citizens of Chicago will have to decide if they want a moderate or progressive Democrat, especially during a time of rising crime rates.
https://inthesetimes.com/article/chicago-mayor-election-brandon-johnson-paul-vallas-lori-lightfoot
https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2023-03-03/state-week-chicagos-mayoral-runoff-election-is-set
3 comments:
This election is not just about political affiliations but also about leadership in addressing the city's most pressing issues. After Lightfoot’s disastrous term, I believe that it is likely that Chicago will shift away from her progressive ideology. While Vallas and Johnson may be attempting to differentiate themselves from each other, they are still a stark contrast to what Lori Lightfoot represented in Chicago. Chicago wanted a change and seems like they may have already achieved that. Because of how unpopular Lightfoot was, I think that it automatically gives Vallas an advantage, as his policies differ from Lightfoot the most. Vallas also has an advantage simply because of the demographics of mayoral elections (older-whiter).
The election in Chicago clearly showed the electorate wanted change, as it was the first time in four decades the sitting mayor did not win. There were many issues which Chicago faced during Mayor Lightfoot’s term, including surging crime, and the voters were clearly not happy with how the issues were dealt with. In politics, there is also often a desire for leadership change, regardless of how things are going, so there could have been some aspects of that as well. However, in any event, the results were pretty clear that the voters wanted a new direction. If public safety is the top priority, as it appears to be in Chicago, then Paul Vallas, who is supported strongly by the police union and viewed as the law-and-order candidate, will likely win. He is a Democrat but tends to be closer to the political center or right-of-center than his opponent, Brandon Johnson. Mr. Johnson is more progressive in his outlook on how Chicago should be run, and has strong support from the teacher’s union. At 46, he is also much younger than Paul Vallas, who is 69. Paul Vallas currently has the lead in the polls, but things can change quickly, so it will be interesting to see what the people of Chicago decide on their future.
While both Vallas and Johnson identify as members of the democratic party the differences in their primary supporters and where they propose funding to be allocated are a blatant display of how broad the term "democrat" truly is. Andrew put it very clearly when he brought up the primary concern of safety in Chicago and how that could be a winning idea for Vallas if the people of Chicago want more of a law enforcement-driven approach to supposedly "putting an end" to violence and lessening the crime rates. However, I think Johnson's approach and ideas on how to create a downtrend in crime rate and violence could prove to be a more long-term goal that will not only help lessen crime but also better the mental health of the people of Chicago for years to come, by reopening public mental-health clinics and providing more funding to the school system specifically, Johnson's plan seems to be a more well-rounded approach to addressing Chicago's problems.
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