How Brandon Johnson Broke Through to Chicago’s Mayoral Runoff
Subject
Brandon Johnson; Chicago Mayoral Race; Cook County
Description
On the last day of February, during an unusually mild winter evening for Chicago, hundreds of people jammed into a cavernous, squat brick building in the West Side neighborhood of Garfield Park. If the West Side of Chicago is defined by poverty, violence, and despair, then Garfield Park is its epicenter. But, on this night, excitement crackled through the air as the Cook County commissioner, Brandon Johnson, defied the odds to face a conservative Democrat, Paul Vallas, in an April runoff election for mayor of Chicago. A cross-section of Johnson supporters—teachers, activists, and organizers—danced and cheered, waiting for Johnson to address the crowd. When news circulated that Mayor Lori Lightfoot had conceded the election, the music cranked louder, as everyone surged toward a podium where Johnson would speak. He appeared with his wife and three children, to thunderous chants of “We want Brandon!” Beaming, Johnson said, “A few months ago, they said they didn’t know who I was. Well, if you didn’t know, now you know.”
Creator
Source
Publisher
newyorker.com
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