CHICAGO—Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took the opportunity on Labor Day to announce his intention to run for reelection as Mayor of what is often called America’s “Second City.”
Just days after billionaire Michael Saks pumped $500,000 into the campaign of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, the Mayor told a crowd of African Americans and other voters packed into the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center here that he was running again as “the real progressive against the posers.”
Among the crowd at DuSable were progressive lawmakers and others, including Rep.Danny Davis, Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamp and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacey Davis Gates. The venue was packed with cheering supporters representing Chicago’s diverse communities.
Johnson told the crowd that powerful billionaires were opposing his reelection because of his dedication to the task of increasing taxes on who he called “the ultra rich. Give me another chance to succeed in taxing those people the way they should be taxed so they pay their fair share of the costs of running this city.”
He reminded his audience that one of his chief opponents, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, is supported by the billionaire Michael Saks, who was a top backer of former Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “We don’t want to go back to the days when 50 public schools were shut down and when mental health centers were shuttered when Emanuel and his backers like Saks were in control,” the mayor said.
Underlining the differences in the class support drawn by the candidates is the amount of money in their campaign war chests, with Giannoulias having $22 million and Johnson with $600,000.
Giannoulias is saying Johnson will have more trouble branding him as not being progressive than he had when he similarly accused Paul Vallas four years ago. “Vallas called himself a Republican at heart,” Giannoulias said, “And I do no such thing”. Being branded a Republican or a conservative in Chicago does not draw one a particularly large groundswell of support.
Johnson’s opponents are overlooking important backing Johnson has gained during his first term in office. He had to contend, four years ago, with serious efforts launched to divide African American and Latino communities. His support in Latino communities has grown since then because of the support he gave to those communities in their battles against Trump immigration policies, particularly his vicious and violent ICE raids in the city.
“Our community, which has both African American and Latino populations, increased its support for Johnson,” said the Rev. Primo Racimo, pastor of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church on the South Side.
“We saw how the mayor supported us when the government sent helicopters landing on the roof of apartment buildings two blocks from my church. We also saw how the mayor supported the establishment of a system of review of police behavior in the city.”
One of the biggest bases of support for Johnson comes from people pleased with his efforts to establish widespread programs for youth all over the city. Countless young people have entered programs for things ranging from sports and recreation to training for jobs as a result of the efforts of the mayor.
Johnson has a particular interest in youth, having come from a background as a teacher in the Chicago public school system.
Stacey DavisGates, the CTU president, says that union support for Johnson will be critical to winning reelection of the mayor. Ground troops provided by unions, especially her union, were critical in winning his first election. The Chicago Federation of Labor has not yet endorsed, and it is the hope of the Johnson campaign that it will endorse his reelection effort. The challenge of winning active labor support across the board will be one that has to be overcome.
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