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(CNN) Chicago voters will choose Brandon Johnson, a progressive Cook County Commissioner backed by a powerful teachers’ union, as the city’s next mayor in a CNN project.
Johnson defeated Paul Ballas, a moderate former city school superintendent who campaigned with a pro-police message in a campaign centered on concerns about violent crime, in Tuesday’s runoff vote. will win.
Mr Johnson told supporters his victory “brought a new chapter in the history of our city” and represented a “bold and progressive movement” and a blueprint for the nation. Said it should
“Now Chicago starts working for its citizens, for all people, because tonight is the gateway to a new future for our city. No matter how much money you have in your loved ones or in your bank, you can thrive The city account,” he said.
At an election night event, Ballas said he called Johnson to hand over the election.
“This campaign I’m undertaking to unite the city won’t be the campaign to realize my ambition if this election is going to divide us further. It is very important to take advantage and come together, and I offered to do everything in my power to support him in his transition,” Vallas said.
Vallas and Johnson were vying to replace Lori Lightfoot as mayor, but she finished third in the first round of nine candidates on February 28, finishing in the top two runoff votes. Candidates for the second term ended.
Mr. Lightfoot took on two of the most powerful forces in this year’s mayoral race. The Chicago Police Fraternity, which backed Mr. Ballas, and the Chicago Teachers Union, which backed Mr. Johnson, a former teacher and union organizer.
The clashes between the two unions are part of a larger battle over how the city dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic during a period of rising violent crime and school closures.
Valas launched a campaign of pro-police and strong criminal appeals. He vowed to fill hundreds of vacancies in the Chicago Police Department, highlighting community policing and replacing officers after the recent surge in violent crime on Chicago Transit Authority trains and stations spooked many commuters. It said it would be placed on public transport.
He also emphasized Johnson’s history of supporting calls to “don’t fund the police.” The message became popular among progressives following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. top Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have long rejected the slogan.
Johnson said during the campaign that he did not want to cut police spending. He said he would promote a new detective in person.
In Tuesday night’s victory speech, Johnson nodded at his clashes with Vallas over crime and police. We envision a city that is safe, and that means ensuring youth employment, mental health centers and law enforcement have the resources to solve and prevent crime.”
In the weeks leading up to the runoff, Vallas and Johnson reached out to about 45% of voters who voted for neither candidate in February.
They were particularly focused on Black and Latinx voters outside Johnson’s progressive base and on Varras’ support in white ethnic neighborhoods and the northwestern part of the city.
In his final TV ad touting his Democratic credentials, Ballas featured black mainstays of Chicago politics, including former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and former United States Congressman Bobby Rush.
Johnson argued Ballas was too conservative for voters in a city where 83% of voters supported the Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. He highlighted the business benefits and donations that Ballas’ campaign received from Republicans and digital advertising paid for by the PAC. He is related 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,” Johnson said at a rally in Chicago with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders last week. Please sit down,’ he said.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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