Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago
 

Progressive Democrat Johnson defeated Moderate Democrat Paul Vallas by 16,000 votes.

Johnson ran on a platform of progressive support for fully funded public schools, affordable housing, green jobs and access to mental health care. His big endorsement was from the Chicago Teachers Union.

Vallas ran on a platform of effective crime control. His big endorsement was from the Fraternal Order of Police. Vallas is actually OK, either candidate was a good choice for the job. But Vallas made the big mistake of accepting the endorsement of the FOP. The president of the FOP is a shitbag ex-cop named John Catazara. Best known for his vile public comments. In 2017, Cataranza stated of Muslims: "Savages they all deserve a bullet." Later he defended the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol by Trump supporters, stating that: "They’re individuals ... They get to do what they want." This is just a sampling of John Catazara.

Vallas still got a large percentage of the white vote, but there were too many white Chicago liberals who could not tolerate Vallas accepting the endorsement of an organization that recently re-elected pig Trump supporter Catazara as it's president.

So new, more progressive blood, certainly more progressive than moderate Lori Lightfoot, who did a fine job through the whole pandemic, and who did an acceptable job in an impossible position.

IMHO the best Chicago mayor in my lifetime was Rahm Emanuel. The "Rahmfather" was smart enough to walk away from the job after two terms. But he took control of a city financially obliterated by Richie Daley and he did was was financially necessary to keep the city afloat. Of course, everybody hated him for it, because the things he had to do hurt pretty much everybody but the wealthiest Chicagoans in one way or another.

Barack Obama's pal Emanuel may have been the most effectively protective Presidential Chief of Staff of all time. If Emanuel didn't want you getting to the President, you didn't get to the President. Obama loved him for it.

Do you live in the Chicago area? If so, was the electorate driven by sensitivity to increasing crime within the city, as has been reported by the national media? Or was it Johnson's agenda and union support that got him over the top?

His first name Brandon had a certain allure to the young voters of Chicago. (Lefty wind & a grin)

https://lede-admin.blockclubchicago....Boyle-8707.jpg

https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/04...os-next-mayor/

I belive I was pretty clear in my OP why Johnson won...

The 51/49 vote (Johnson won by 16,000 on a total vote of almost 600,000) was split by race. But there were plenty of white Democrat Chicago residents who were put off by Vallas accepting the endorsement of the FOP and it's racist, bigot, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-Semite, Trumper asshole president Catanzara. They were so revolted that they either voted for Johnson, or they just stayed home.

I grew up and spent my early adulthood in Chicago. We have lived in DuPage County for almost 50 years. Proud that after being dominated by Henry Hyde (remember the Hyde Amendment?), Peter Roskam and other vile Republicans for those 50 years, DuPage County went blue in 2018, again in 2020 and 2022, and after what has become of the Republican party, DuPage will never go red again.

I don't know anything about Brandon Johnson. But Vallas has been around a long time. He did a pretty good job as Superindendent of the Chicago Public School system. He is a moderate Democrat but on the same side of pretty much every political and social issue as me and the blonde. Even though he made a grievous error regarding the FOP endorsement, I would have probably voted for him.