CHICAGO — Brandon Johnson has defeated Paul Vallas to become the next mayor of Chicago, The Associated Press has declared.
In an extremely close race, Johnson, a Cook County commissioner and Chicago Teachers Union organizer, squeaked out a stunning victory over Vallas, a former Chicago Public Schools CEO.
Johnson, 47, had emerged as the most popular progressive among the initial nine candidates, then bested the more conservative Vallas in the runoff to take Chicago’s top elected office Tuesday.
