It’s Vallas v. Johnson for mayor!

Presented by CVS Health: Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln

Mar 01, 2023 View in browser   By Shia Kapos Presented by CVS Health Happy Wednesday, Illinois. Like they say, this ain’t beanbag. TOP TALKER Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot walks into the open arms of a supporter after conceding the mayoral election Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Chicago. | AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast In a stunning fall, even if the polls said she was in peril, Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her reelection bid. The city’s first Black woman mayor won 17 percent of the vote, short of what she’d need to get into the runoff. Paul Vallas, who secured 34 percent, and Brandon Johnson, who had 20 percent, will now compete for mayor of Chicago on April 4. A ward-by-ward breakdown shows Lightfoot did well in Black wards but lost miserably in predominantly white wards, where Vallas and the respective aldermen had focused on public safety. Our full story: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes. Lightfoot kept it classy in her concession speech, saying she was “rooting and praying” for the next mayor. It was heartfelt. Chicago mayoral candidates Paul Vallas, left, and Brandon Johnson speak at their respective election night headquarters in Chicago, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. | AP Photos/Paul Beaty and Nam Y. Huh Vallas and Johnson’s speeches were telling for different reasons. It’s the issues, man: Vallas focused on education and crime, saying public safety is a “civil right,” and that it’s “the principal responsibility of government.” He said he was focused “on the issues, nothing but the issues.” Attack, attack, attack: Johnson sent a clear message with a speech that hit hard at Vallas. “It’s about to get real,” Johnson said, before ticking off criticisms of his new rival’s record leading school districts and his own words about being a Republican. Policy v. political attacks will drive the narrative of the second leg of the mayor’s contest. “This is a race where if the election becomes about the issues — about crime or education — you’ll see Vallas do well. If it’s a race about personality or politics, those ancillary things, then Johnson has a good shot,” said Collin Corbett of Cor Strategies, which has been studying the campaign. Jason DeSanto, a speech and debate expert from Northwestern University, said good story-telling will matter, too. “Both candidates talked about their families, but Vallas used his to underscore values of safety and service. And Johnson used his to emphasize values of equality and opportunity.” It’s where they both will try to compete, he told Playbook. RELATED — Lightfoot was dealt a bad hand: “The pandemic, civil unrest triggered by the murder of George Floyd and the violent crime wave after those demonstrations. But bad timing is too simple to explain her stunning political downfall,” writes Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman. — The mayor was in a fight she couldn’t have won: “With eight challengers vying for her seat, Lightfoot fought hard to stay in an elite club,” by Sun-Times’ Mary Mitchell. — Lightfoot’s loss an “astonishing fall from power,” write Tribune’s Gregory Pratt and Alice Yin — Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and the rest of the field, by Tribune’s Rick Pearson — Early voting set records, but overall turnout at the polls was “sluggish,” by Tribune’s Lizzie Kane, Zareen Syed and Joe Mahr — Was it a coincidence? Steve Wonder’s “Superstition, writing’s on the wall” played before the mayor made her concession speech. THE BUZZ The Chicago City Council had races, too ... Southwest Side incumbents appear to win handily — including one who rebuked Madigan: “The contests in the 13th, 14th and 23rd wards were framed by the aggressive work in recent years of the office of U.S. Attorney John Lausch, which secured expansive racketeering indictments against Madigan and Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th),” by Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel and Maria Gardner Lara. Reelected to the council … Back by popular demand: Council members who won their races, whether they had opponents or not: Brian Hopkins (2nd), Pat Dowell (3rd), Gregory Mitchell (7th), Michelle Harris (8th), Anthony Beale (9th), Marty Quinn (13th), Raymond Lopez (15th), Stephanie Coleman (16th), David Moore (17th), Derrick Curtis (18th), Matt O’Shea (19th), Jeanette Taylor (20th), Michael Rodriguez (22nd), Silvana Tabares (23rd), Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), Jason Ervin (28th), Chris Taliaferro (29th), Felix Cardona Jr. (31st), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Rosanna Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), Emma Mitts (37th), Nick Sposato (38th), Samantha “Sam” Nugent (39th), Andrew Vasquez (40th), Anthony Napolitano (41st), Brendan Reilly (42nd), Matt Martin (47th), Maria Hadden (49th) and Debra Silverstein (50th). New faces on the council … Jeylú Gutiérrez (14th): Ed Burke's reign ends as 14th Ward elects Jeylú Gutiérrez, the first  new alderman in 54 years, via ABC 7 Jessie Fuentes (26th) will replace longtime Ald. Roberto Maldonado, via Block Club And Bill Conway (34th) and Bennett Lawson (44th) are on the council, too. Tough fights ahead for recently appointed aldermen: Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) faces a runoff with Anthony Ciaravino. Ald. Monique Scott (24th) appears headed into a run-off with Vetress Boyce. Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) faces Brian Comer. And Ald. Anabel Abarca (12th), who was appointed in December, was defeated by Julia Ramirez. Incumbents in runoffs: Ald. Daniel La Spata and Sam Royko are the top vote-getters in the 1st Ward. Out is Proco “Joe” Moreno, the former alderman who tried to win back his seat. Absentee ballots may determine if this race goes to a runoff or not. ... Ald. Gil Villegas (36th) faces a runoff. Embattled Ald. Jim Gardiner is top vote-getter, likely headed to runoff with Megan Mathias in the 45th, by Tribune’s John Byrne, Sarah Macaraeg and Richard Requena New names in runoffs … 4th Ward: Current state Rep. Lamont Robinson appears headed into the runoff with Prentice Butler. 5th Ward: Desmon Yancy v. Martina Hone. 6th Ward: Richard Wooten v. William Hall. 10th Ward: Peter Chico v. Ana Guajardo 21st Ward: Ronnie Mosley v. Cornell Dantzler. 30th Ward: Jessica Gutierrez v. Ruth Cruz. 46th: Angela Clay v. Kim Walz. 48th: Joe Dunne v. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth.  If you are Stacy Davis Gates, Playbook would like to hear your game plan. Email skapos@politico.com. A message from CVS Health: CVS Health: from the simplest of needs to more complex care. Learn more.   WHERE'S JB At Gietl Park in Springfield, Ill., to announce investments in local park systems. WHERE'S LORI Picking herself up. Where's Toni No official public events. Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I’d like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com CORRUPTION CHRONICLES — Trial of 4 caught up in Madigan’s ComEd bribery scandal delayed by one week: “The four were indicted in November 2020 and accused in a nearly decadelong scheme to sway Madigan. They allegedly landed his associates jobs, contracts and money while legislation crucial to ComEd’s bottom line moved through Springfield,” by Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel. — Madigan attorneys allege feds misled court in wiretap filings, tried to criminalize legal lobbying, by Tribune’s Jason Meisner and Ray Long   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     THE STATEWIDES — As an Illinois auto factory closes, layoffs and economic worries extend into surrounding city: "It feels like we had oil underneath the town, and now the oil is gone." ABC’s Peter Charalambous reports. — Coal plant pollution can be deadly — even hundreds of miles downwind, by Blanca Begert in Grist — Illinois’ biometric privacy law “provides a blueprint” other states could follow, via CyberScoop. CHICAGO — GROAN: 'Major traffic' ahead as Kennedy Expressway construction begins in March. "We anticipate there's going to be some major traffic delays as more than 275,000 motorists use that expressway each day," IDOT spokeswoman Maria Castaneda said Tuesday at a briefing. Daily Herald’s Marni Pyke reports. — Chicago City Council spends a third of its meetings on honorary speeches, writes Better Government Association’s Geoffrey Cubbage — Obama to launch leadership training in Chicago, 2 more cities, by Sun-Times’ Mohammad Samra   A message from CVS Health:   Reader Digest We asked which celebrity describes the year you were born. Robert Christie: James Stewart and Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s. Mike Gascoigne: Madonna, 1980s. Patricia Ann Watson: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Viola Davis, Julia Roberts. Steve Weiss: Elton John and Aretha Franklin. What would you enjoy most if you had a self-driving car? Email skapos@politico.com TAKING NAMES — Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton testified before the full Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing Tuesday entitled, “The Equal Rights Amendment: How Congress Can Recognize Ratification and Enshrine Equality in Our Constitution.” In her testimony, Stratton said: “We are seeing the eroding of women’s rights and their ability to determine what is best for their futures. Recent events have shown us all too well how easily decades of progress can be erased when our rights are not guaranteed by the Constitution,” she said during testimony. — Lisa C. Freeman was recently elected to the Chicago Zoological Society Board of Trustees, which manages Brookfield Zoo. Freeman is president at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     FROM THE DELEGATION — Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) has reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would designate the church that held Emmett Till’s funeral in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood as a national monument. The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, and Roberts Temple National Historic Site Act would establish the church as a national monument to be managed by the National Park Service. THE NATIONAL TAKE — 5 key moments from the Supreme Court showdown over Biden’s student debt relief, by POLITICO’s Michael Stratford and Josh Gerstein — Dark money and special deals: How Leonard Leo and his friends benefited from his judicial activism, by POLITICO’s Heidi Przybyla — GOP, Manchin look to nullify ‘woke’ Biden rule, by POLITICO’s Eleanor Mueller and Allison Prang — China Select Committee hearing highlights partisan divide on Beijing-countering strategy, by POLITICO’s Phelim Kine Transitions — Ernesto Martinez is joining the Illinois Comptroller Office as deputy director of constituent services after serving as deputy press secretary/Hispanic liaison for the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office for the past 17 years. — Gilberto Ruiz has joined Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office as the new legislative coordinator. He had been a legislative assistant to Gov. JB Pritzker. — Joanna Horsnail is managing partner of Mayer Brown’s 400-lawyer Chicago office. She’s been with the firm for nearly 25 years. IN MEMORIAM — David M. Hartigan: A former assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Obituary details here A message from CVS Health: No matter who you are, where you are, or what you need to take care of your health, CVS Health is there for you. In your community, on your phone, or in your home, CVS Health connects you to care that’s high quality, convenient, and affordable--however you need it. Learn more.   EVENTS — April 26-27: The University of Chicago Institute of Politics and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard are hosting the 2024 Campaign Journalism Conference in Chicago “to equip journalists with tools to cover elections.” Guests include strategists David Axelrod and Lis Smith, CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins and former RNC Chair Reince Priebus and former DNC Chair Tom Perez. Details here TRIVIA TUESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to John Fritchey for correctly answering that ALOFT Circus Arts on Wrightwood Avenue in Chicago was once the location of an evangelical church. TODAY’s QUESTION: How many national political conventions by major political parties has Chicago hosted? Email skapos@politico.com HAPPY BIRTHDAY Former Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson, former Congressman Randy Hultgren, former state Sen. Karen McConnaughay, Illinois Department of Agriculture chief of staff Jeremy Flynn, Cabrera Capital Markets real estate VP Manuel Perez, real-estate pro Meredith Meserow, vPeer CEO and President of the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition Dilara Sayeed, public policy consultant Laura Tucker, chef Art Smith, Centre College (Kentucky) marketing VP  Sarah Nolan, community advocate and political strategist Tavares Briggs and journalist Randy Weissman. And belated happy birthday to Kim Walz, who made it to a runoff in her aldermanic race. -30-   Follow us on Twitter Shia Kapos @shiakapos   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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