The Associated Press is projecting that former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas won enough votes Tuesday to seal up a spot in the April runoff election for Chicago mayor.
Who Vallas will face on April 4 remained unclear Tuesday night as votes from across the city continued to be counted. Mayor Lori Lightfoot was fighting for a second term but faced strong headwinds after four often-tumultuous years.
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Unofficial results showed Vallas with 36% of the vote, with 75% of the precincts reporting. Second was Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson at 20%, followed by Lightfoot with just below 16%, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García at 14% and businessman Willie Wilson with 9%.
Lightfoot was squeezed by opposition from both ends of the political spectrum as the more conservative Vallas pushed a law-and-order theme while progressive candidates such as Johnson and García tried to convince voters that Lightfoot brought incomplete answers to the city’s problems and divisiveness.
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Others running against Lightfoot included state Rep. Kambium “Kam” Buckner, Ald. Sophia King, 4th, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, and community activist Ja’Mal Green. They each had less than 5% of the vote.
With nine candidates running, including seven Black candidates, few expected Tuesday’s election would be the final say on the 2023 race for mayor.
This is a breaking new story. Please find more of our election coverage here.
