Many conservatives celebrated as incumbent Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was eliminated in that city’s first round of balloting earlier this year. However, a candidate who previously called for defunding the city’s police force has emerged victorious.
Brandon Johnson, who was heavily supported by left-wing causes, was elected the city’s mayor over Paul Vallas in the nonpartisan runoff election Tuesday.
The election may have profound effects on the city and its growing crime rate. Johnson now claims that he does not desire to defund the police, but it is likely that the city’s perceived out-of-control wave of violence and property crime will continue.
In 2020, following the death of George Floyd, Johnson introduced a resolution to the Cook County Board of Commissioners to “redirect funds from policing and incarceration to public services not administered by law enforcement.”
The resolution said that police had a “troubled history” in the city.
It also read that “policing was in part developed as a tool to preserve the institution of slavery in the 1700’s, focusing on chasing down runaway slaves and shutting down slave revolts, grew into a weapon to disrupt labor uprisings in the 1800s and matured in the 1900s to be used as the single most effective tool in repressing the civil rights movement.”
Johnson showed sympathy for the riots that followed Floyd’s death and called for a large tax increase. The total tax hikes are estimated to bring in about $800 million in revenue.
The mayor-elect proposed the mix of taxes in a city that has among the highest tax rates in the country. This includes potential taxes on airlines, real estate, employment, stock trading and staying in hotels.
Leftist @Brandon4Chicago has won the Chicago mayoral election against moderate Democrat Paul Vallas. Johnson calls for removing law enforcement from society. During the 2020 riots, he defended looters, saying they were lashing out against racism. Chicago’s violent crime has… pic.twitter.com/Z2kcJSj8GJ
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 5, 2023
The latest victory coincides with a similar left-wing candidate winning in nearby Wisconsin. That state’s Supreme Court will soon have a liberal majority after Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated former state Supreme Court Justice, Dan Kelly.
The setbacks in Wisconsin and Illinois come as national attention is fixed on the indictment of former President Donald Trump. The exact effects of the races on the 2024 Republican primary are yet to be seen.
