Johnson projected winner of Chicago Mayoral Race

Brandon Johnson, photo provide by Johnson Campaign
Brandon Johnson, photo provide by Johnson Campaign

 Johnson projected winner of Chicago Mayoral Race

BY TIA CAROL JONES 

The race for Mayor of the city of Chicago went into a run-off after the Feb. 28th election, with Paul Vallas and Brandon
Johnson facing off.

On Tuesday, April 4th, Johnson was the projected winner, with 51.2% of the votes.

For weeks the candidates participated in Mayoral Forums, answering questions about public safety, education, transportation and mental health.

Johnson received endorsements from Martin Luther King III, Bernie Sanders, Ayana Pressley, Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Congressman Jonathan Jackson. On Election
Day, Johnson crisscrossed the city and visited 15 sites before
the polls closed at 7 p.m.

Vallas received endorsements from former Secretary of State Jesse White, former Congressman Bobby Rush, former State Senate President Emil Jones, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Senator Dick Durbin.

In addition to the Mayoral election run-off, there were 14 Aldermanic races that were in a run-off.

According to the Chicago Board of Elections, as of noon on Election Day, 364,548 total ballots were cast, which would amount to 22.9% of the citywide turnout. By 3 p.m.
on Election Day, there were 426,773 total ballots cast, which
accounted for 26.8% of the total citywide turnout. By 5 p.m. on
Election Day, there were 476,358 total ballots cast, which is 29.8% total citywide turnout.

As of 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, with 96.6% of
the votes, Johnson had 51.2% of the votes and Vallas had
48.8% of the votes. The Associated Press called Johnson
the projected winner of the Mayoral race.

Vallas took to the podium at 9:45 p.m. with former Congressman Bobby Rush and former Mayoral candidates Willie Wilson and Ja’Mal Green. Vallas said he called Johnson and expected him to be the next Mayor of Chicago. Vallas said he offered Johnson his full support. And, said he looks forward to working with him.

“Brandon Johnson’s victory tonight is a win for working people
across Chicago who turned out to vote across race and neighborhood for a candidate who understands what it takes for
their families and communities to thrive - strong public schools,
public safety policies that deal with the root causes of crime,
good union jobs, and a mayor who works for everyone, not just the powerful elite,” SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry said in a release. “As a public school teacher and organizer, he was on the frontlines serving his community and the next generation of Chicago. His victory gives further momentum to pro-worker candidates across the country who face long odds but inspire great hope.”

And, as of April 4th, Chicago Board of Elections said 91,838 outstanding Vote By Mail ballots had not been returned back to the Board. The Vote By Mail Ballots that were received on April 4th were not counted by or reflected in the Election Night results.
Those ballots would be processed ad counted on a rolling basis
through April 18th.

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