Following Lori Lightfoot's decisive defeat in the first round of Chicago's mayoral election in February — making her the first mayor of Chicago to lose a reelection bid in 40 years — the two candidates who kept her from advancing to the city's runoff election held Tuesday have been bringing in the big guns to buoy their campaigns in a mad dash to the Election Day finish line.
As Townhall reported after the first round, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas locked up more than 30 percent of votes to finish in first place in February, while Cook County Board of Commissioners member Brandon Johnson drew more than 20 percent of votes to come in second place to round out the runoff ballot.
The two candidates defeated incumbent Mayor Lightfoot, along with U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" Garcia, Chicago City Council members Sophia King and Roderick Sawyer, Kam Buckner, Ja'Mal Green, and Willie Wilson.
Before Windy City residents cheer the end of Lightfoot's reign, it's important to remember — Guy noted in an Election Day preview — that Tuesday's runoff "could result in an even worse chief executive" taking Lightfoot's place.
As Guy explained:
The runoff pits moderate Democrat Paul Vallas against leftist Brandon Johnson. Vallas is the relatively conservative choice, campaigning on an anti-crime platform. Johnson is a paid agitator for the teachers union and a 'defund the police' type, who's been expediently running away from his own words on the subject.
Vallas, notably, received the endorsement of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and made addressing crime a central issue of his campaign. That puts Vallas to the right of Lightfoot, though that's a low bar to clear.
To the left of Lightfoot lies Johnson, who has had Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Al Sharpton, and AFT union boss Randi Weingarten campaign on his behalf.
Randi Weingarten having a normal one pic.twitter.com/7nZFw4Bfgq
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) April 3, 2023
Will the rants from those leftists seal the deal and put Johnson over the top to win on Tuesday night? Or will concerns about out-of-control crime stick in voters' minds? We'll see.
Live results from Chicago will be updating below throughout the evening, and Townhall will have followup coverage in the days ahead.
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