Brandon Johnson defeated Paul Vallas in the highly contentious 2023 Chicago mayoral runoff election, taking the mantle from incumbent Lori Lightfoot and bringing an end to the battle between Democrats in the city.
Johnson will become the fourth black mayor of Chicago, following Harold Washington, who served as mayor from 1983 to 1987, Eugene Sawyer, who served from 1987 to 1989, and Lightfoot, who became the city's first black female mayor in 2019.
Johnson defeated Vallas 51.42% to 48.58%, with 99% of precincts reporting. At the end of election day, there were over 555,000 total ballots cast.The newly elected Democratic mayor ran on a more progressive platform than Vallas. He advocated comprehensive reform at all levels, hoping to bolster communities through improvements in mental health services, affordable housing, and education. He also placed emphasis on promoting detectives to combat the city's rising crime rates.
