“Paul Vallas represents the wealthy, the rich, the corporations. Brandon Johnson represents the people,” said Angel Gonzalez, a high school senior student and community organizer.
On 4 April, Chicago voters narrowly elected Brandon Johnson to be their new mayor, the former Cook county commissioner who campaigned on offering progressive solutions to Chicago’s mainstay issues of education, inequality and public safety.
For a coalition of young voters and those from communities of color, Johnson represented the prospect of a refreshing change, said experts, a vast departure from challenger Paul Vallas, the conservative-leaning former leader of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and Chicago’s outgoing mayor, Lori Lightfoot.
“For me, the choice was honestly black and white,” said Gonzalez, on the clarity of the vote.
“I felt like [Johnson] actually stood with the people.”
In Tuesday’s runoff election, Johnson beat Vallas with 52% of the vote, a lead of over 20,000 votes, according to Politco. Tuesday’s results differed drastically from Chicago’s general election in February after no candidate captured a majority of the votes.Vallas secured 60,000 more votes than Johnson and trounced Lightfoot with over 32% of the vote.
A critical factor in Johnson’s victory in last week’s runoff was young Chicagoans, residents aged 18 to 24 who largely supported Johnson and had a 30% increase in voter turnout between the general and runoff election, Block Club Chicago reported.
Johnson’s win was also bolstered by support from communities of color, with Black and Latino neighborhoods overwhelmingly voting for him, reported WBEZ, despite resounding endorsements for Vallas from Black establishment politicians.
Katrina Phidd of Chicago Votes, a non-profit that promotes youth civic engagement, said the support from younger Chicagoans was due to Johnson’s key progressive policies.
“The Johnson campaign uplifted a number of things that young people have been asking and organizing for in the street,” said Phidd, who named Johnson’s campaign promises of investing in mental health treatment and providing year-round jobs.
Describing Johnson’s campaign as “grassroots”, Phidd also noted that Johnson’s campaign made efforts to engage younger voters through panels, rallies and other events, a departure from Lightfoot, whom some found condescending.
“I think she left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths,” said Phidd, referring to Lightfoot’s treatment of Black youth during the Covid-19 lockdown.
.@chicagosmayor why didn’t you have a real dialogue with them instead of being condescending? Your PR stunt with tik tok don’t make you cool with the youth if you don’t approach us with respect. That’s why lil Bro roasted you. You want 2 save their lives show them U care, PERIOD! pic.twitter.com/iCP1VfTszQ
— GoodKidsMadCity (@GKMC18) May 3, 2020
Johnson’s strategy also included the support of key youth organizations, including GoodKids MadCity and Healthy Hood, which also mobilized the vote among younger voters especially in South and West Side communities, Phidd added.
“His campaign really prioritized reaching young people and reaching people who are unlikely to engage in elections and turning them out to vote.”
Patrice James of the non-profit Illinois Black Advocacy Initiative said the support of Johnson in Black communities largely came because of Johnson’s commitment to address the “root cause” of issues affecting Chicago neighborhoods, notably public safety.
“Black voters know really well that more police does not automatically mean we are safer,” said James. “Black voters are really interested in having those root causes addressed.”
Education remained a crucial issue. Johnson, a former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teacher, garnered the endorsement of the Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) and other figures within public education while Vallas has been known for his support of charter schools.
“It was the fear of what he could do this time around,” said Phidd on Vallas’s legacy of privatizing education.
Younger voters were also less enthusiastic about Vallas given his leadership of CPS, a tenure that left a sour taste for many.
Gonzalez, who attends Social Justice high school in the Little Village neighborhood, said their choice to support Johnson partly came from Vallas’s failure in 2001 to build the Little Village Lawndale high school, which contains Social Justice, despite building two additional high schools in affluent neighborhoods.
The failed promise resulted in a 19-day hunger strike from community members, with the school later established in 2005.
“He didn’t want the school that I go to to exist,” said Gonzalez.
James said that Johnson’s background as an educator and support from CTU specifically spoke to voters who remember Vallas’s impact on education in Black neighborhoods during his tenure.
“Johnson’s connection to CTU and his connection to education resonated,” said James. “It was not helpful that Vallas was working with CPS when schools were closing in Black communities.”
Outside of education, public safety remained a critical issue for many Chicago voters. But, Vallas’s recommendation of employing more police officers was not as popular as Johnson’s promise to invest in mental health resources into communities and increase economic development to address underlying causes of crime.
With the election results in, many say that Johnson’s victory is a positive sign for progressive groups.
“Time will tell how he moves in office, but I think he has, so far, shown a willingness to listen to young people,” said Phidd.
