Vallas, Johnson mayoral runoff set; many aldermanic races still undecided

Paul Vallas or Brandon Johnson will become Chicago's 57th mayor. Lori Lightfoot was the first incumbent mayor to lose in 40 years, when Harold Washington defeated Jane Byrne. 

A list of Chicago's mayors since 1837. 

At least 12 members of Chicago's City Council will be new following Tuesday night's election. 

One incumbent, 12th Ward Ald. Anabel Abarca lost to Julia Ramirez. Three candidates won open seats last night -- Jeylu Gutierrez  (14th), Jessie Fuentes (26th) and Bill Conway (34th).

Eight other open wards where incumbents were not seeking re-election are headed to a runoff.  (Wards 4, 5, 6, 10, 21, 30, 46, 48).

Right now, six other ward races in which incumbents were seeking re-election are headed to a runoff. (Wards 1, 11, 24, 36, 43, 45)

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) appears to have narrowly defeated challenger Aida Flores, a Chicago Public Schools educator, in Tuesday's election.

With 95% of the vote counted, Sigcho-Lopez was leading Flores by a 52% to 48% margin, a lead of more than 350 votes. Although there are still uncounted mail ballots still coming in, it appears unlikely Flores can make up the difference.

Flores has not conceded, and her campaign has said they are going to wait for every vote to be counted, which could take a couple weeks for all mail votes to come in.  

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Ald. James Gardiner (45th), who has been the subject of controversy, scrutiny, and accusations of intimidation and retribution in his term in office, was just short of 50 capturing 50 percent of the vote in a field of five Tuesday night.

As of 9:40 p.m., with all but two precincts reporting, Gardiner had about 49 percent of the vote. The next runner up, Megan Mathias, had only 16 percent, followed by 14.7 percent for James Suh.

Gardiner will face a runoff if he does not clear the 50 percent mark when all the votes are in.

In conceding the mayoral race Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García name-checked and congratulated several people connected to him who won their races.

García came in fourth, behind finalists Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot – who was also eliminated.

"Whether or not we agree, I cannot tell you what it means to me that you gave me a chance," he said.

He added that he believes Chicago has "more in common than divides us."

Among the candidates he congratulated are Ald.-elect Julia Ramirez (12th), Ald.-elect Jeylu Gutierrez (14th), and reeelcted aldermen Mike Rodriguez (22nd) and Andre Vasquez (40th).

Johnson, who started the race with low name recognition, was able to climb into contention with the backing of the Chicago Teachers Union and other major labor unions.

"They said that this would never happen. I am so freaking proud, because we did this. A few months ago, they said they didn't know who I was. Well, if you didn't know, now you know," Johnson said after Lightfoot conceded.

Repeating a line he's used several times during the campaign, Johnson said if he wins in April, "a Black woman will still be in charge," referring to his wife of 25 years, Stacie.

To voters who supported one of his rivals, Johnson said, "I want you to know that I'm running to be the mayor of you, too, and I'm going to work just as hard as I have to get to this point to earn your support."

"With our voices and our votes, we've come together as one city to say that we deserve a Chicago that is better, stronger, safer for everyone. No matter where you live, no matter what you look like, you deserve to have a stronger, safer Chicago. Whether you live in Jefferson Park, or Morgan Park, or McKinley Park, or Gage Park, or Humboldt Park, you deserve a better, stronger, safer Chicago," he said.

Ald. Daniel La Spata appears headed to a runoff election in the 1st Ward against attorney Sam Royko, son of legendary columnist Mike Royko, coming up just shy of a majority so far in the election.

With about 91 percent of the votes counted, La Spata was leading with 49.2% of the vote, and Royko had about 24%. Community activist Stephen "Andy" Schneider had 19%, and former Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno had nearly 8%.

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With Brandon Johnson now named a finalist for mayor, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said the city will be electing a unifier if Johnson wins the runoff.

"I feel wonderful for the city of Chicago. They're going to get a leader who has integrity, and a leader who will love us and invest in us," Gates told CBS 2's Marissa Perlman.

Gates noted that Johnson – a CTU organizer himself – is a longtime middle school teacher who she said will "teach us how to become unified and organized."

She said Johnson is a unifier across race, gender, and other demographic identifiers, and said Vallas "stokes racial fear."

In his speech Tuesday night, Vallas touted his experience – including as budget director for Mayor Richard M. Daley and then as chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools, and also in running the school system in Philadelphia and rebuilding the school system in New Orleans.

"I've had success because I've always had the good sense to listen to the community, to empower the community, and draw my leadership from the community," Vallas said.

Vallas emphasized a need for stronger public safety – which has been a major theme of his campaign.

"We will have a safe Chicago," he said. "We will make Chicago the safest city in America."

Vallas also emphasized the need for schools to be a part of the public safety solution – a major theme throughout his campaign to this point.

He also emphasized that he comes from a family of public servants – including several police officers – and that he supported marriage equality in 2002 when he was running for governor against Rod Blagojevich. Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), Chicago's first openly gay alderman who will be retiring this year, introduced Vallas for the speech.

Standing in third place with nearly 90% of the vote counted, Mayor Lori Lightfoot conceded Tuesday night, saying she had called Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson to congratulate them on advancing to the runoff in April.

With about 88% of the vote in Chicago counted, Vallas is leading the nine-candidate field with 35% of the vote, and Johnson was in 2nd place with 20%.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot was coming in third Tuesday night. This was not the way Mayor Lightfoot expected the night to go – at least outwardly.

The mood at Mayor Lightfoot's campaign headquarters at Carpenters Hall went from subdued to dejected as the night went on.

Mayor Lightfoot came into office as the first Black woman mayor and the first openly gay mayor – and she won all 50 wards in the runoff in 2019. The change in her fortunes is dramatic.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), a supporter of Mayor Lightfoot, said earlier in the evening he hoped the mayor would make the runoff after all. But he said her four years are full of accomplishments regardless.

"I think the four years have been a great accomplishment," Waguespack said. "I've seen more movement the last four years than I did in the previous 15."

With indicted Ald. Edward Burke's reign as the 14th Ward alderman coming to an end after more than half a century, progressive candidate Jeylú Gutiérrez is well on her way to taking over his seat on the City Council.

With 82% of the votes counted in the 14th ward, Jeylú Gutiérrez is leading with 64% of the vote over rival Raul Reyes, who has 36% of the vote.

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Challenging Hadden -- an incumbent who has served one term -- were Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce president Bill Morton, and entrepreneur and former Rogers Park Business Alliance board president Belia Rodriguez.

With all but two precincts reporting, Hadden had 74 percent of the vote, compared with 16 percent for Rodriguez and 10 percent for Morton.

Four years after a wrong raid on her home by Chicago Police, Anjanette Young endorsed Brandon Johnson for mayor.

On Tuesday night, Young was excited with Johnson poised to be a finalist for a runoff election – coming in second behind Paul Vallas.

"I'm really excited that we are just blessed that we are closer to Brandon being our next mayor of the city of Chicago," Young said.

Young said Johnson would operate differently than Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was polling third.

"Brandon is for the people, and also Brandon is the one that doesn't mind working for others," Johnson said, adding that she believes Mayor Lightfoot operates in a "silo."

CBS 2's Marissa Perlman noted that Vallas and Johnson espouse much different views on policing – with Vallas calling for more officers and running on a law-and-order platform, and Johnson opposing more spending on police. Young said she believes Johnson would be better for public safety.

"I think the difference between Brandon and Paul Vallas is that Brandon is working with other officials in this city," Young said. "Brandon is not against the police. He's about making sure that the police are able to their job in a way that keeps the community safe, and that people are encouraged by the police in their communities – and not because they're afraid of the police."

The CBS 2 Investigators broke Young's story, which created waves across the city.

The innocent social worker was changing her clothes when a team of officers burst into her home.  She was handcuffed naked as officers swarmed her home with guns drawn. She can be seen on police body camera video repeatedly telling officers they were in the wrong place.

The CBS 2 Investigators found that officers could have and should have known they were in the wrong apartment. The suspect police were looking for, based on a tip from a confidential informant, was living in a neighboring apartment. He also was wearing a police tracking device while awaiting trial for a recent arrest.

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), a supporter of Paul Vallas for mayor, expressed excitement at Vallas' performance Tuesday night.

Vallas had 35 percent of the vote with 84 percent of the precincts reporting, and will be in the runoff election. Brandon Johnson is polling second at about 20 percent. Mayor Lori Lightfoot was coming in third at 16 percent.

"This is such a strong finish for Paul, and we all expected he was going to lead this race of nine contenders," Hopkins said.

Hopkins said since the top finishing candidates will face off in a runoff, there will not be a victory speech.  But he said Vallas is "clearly in the position to be the next mayor of Chicago, and it's based on his message."

Vallas focused on crime and public safety in his campaign.

Hopkins also said it is clear that Vallas and Johnson will be the finalists in the runoff, and he said it is was time for Lightfoot to concede.

"At this point, she needs to call Brandon Johnson and offer her congratulations – because I just don't see any mathematical path for Mayor Lightfoot to be in this runoff," he said.

With more than 75% of the vote in Chicago counted, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas is projected to have made the April 4 runoff, with Brandon Johnson leading among the remaining eight candidates.

The Associated Press is projecting Vallas will make the runoff, with 36% of the vote for mayor so far.

Johnson is in second place with 20%, Mayor Lori Lightftoot is in third place with 15.7%, and Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is in 4th place with 14%.

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With all of the early votes counted ahead of time, the Board of Elections has already dumped results for about half of the city-wide vote.  

Right now, Paul Vallas holds a large lead, with Brandon Johnson moving in front of Lori Lightfoot. 

Remember: Tens of thousands of mail in ballots won't be counted until tomorrow. 

CBS 2 Political Analysts Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) and Sylvia Puente spoke to voter turnout just after the polls closed Tuesday evening.

"Historically, we're lucky if we get 40 percent turnout in a mayoral election," Puente said. "I really don't think we're going to get to 40 percent."

But this does not reflect low turnout so much as a redistribution of turnout – as more voters than not are either mailing in their ballots or voting early, Puente said.

Hairston noted that in the 5th Ward – which includes parts of Hyde Park, Woodlawn, South Shore, and Grand Crossing – 80 percent of voters are over 60. These voters, as well as many working people, voted early, Hairston said.

After the polls closed at 7 p.m., a total of 507,852 ballots had been cast, including in-person voting on Election Day, early voting, and voting by mail. That amounts to a turnout of 32.1% so far, with some vote by mail ballots still on the way in.

Chicago Board of Elections officials said approximately 99,000 mail ballots that had been sent to voters have yet to be returned. Those ballots can be counted up until March 14 if they are postmarked by Election Day.

All votes by mail received on Tuesday will not be processed and counted until Wednesday morning. All vote by mal ballots that come in Wednesday through March 14 will be processed and counted as they come in.

Turnout By Age Group:

18 -24: 15,954 ballots cast – 3.14%

25-34: 70,306 ballots cast – 13.84%

35-44: 81,147 ballots cast – 15.98%

45-54: 81,770 ballots cast – 16.10%

55-64: 98,423 ballots cast – 19.38%

65-74: 94,430 ballots cast – 18.59%

75+: 65,768 ballots cast – 12.95%

Turnout Per Hour:

6:00am: 8,344 ballots cast

7:00am: 12,734 ballots cast

8:00am: 16,106 ballots cast

9:00am: 15,920 ballots cast

10:00am: 16,669 ballots cast

11:00am: 18,091 ballots cast

12:00 Noon: 17,989 ballots cast

1:00pm: 17,397 ballots cast

2:00pm: 17,746 ballots cast

3:00pm: 20,917 ballots cast

4:00pm: 28,204 ballots cast

5:00pm: 32,992 ballots cast

6:00pm: 26,327 ballots cast

Chicago mayoral race headed for runoff if no candidate gets over 50% of vote

Candidates need over 50% of the vote to win. CBS 2's Ryan Baker discusses the possibility of a runoff with University of Chicago political science professor Twyla Blackmond Larnell. 

Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is counting on his longtime base of support on the Southwest Side to turn out at the polls on Tuesday as he makes his second bid for the mayor's office in Chicago. He's pushing his 40 years of public service experience as the reason to put him onto the 5th floor at City Hall, with the know-how that he says Mayor Lightfoot has not shown in office.

One of the most closely watched races on Tuesday will see the end of an era for an alderman who has been in the city council for more than half a century.

Alderman Ed Burke who represented the 14th Ward is not running amidst a federal investigation and trial set for later this year. He's been in office since 1969.

CBS 2's Shardaa Gray has been talking to voters all day, and a number of them are looking forward to changes. 

As of 5 p.m., a total of 444,731 ballots have been cast in Chicago's municipal elections, including voting at the polling places on Election Day, early voting, and voting by mail.

That represents 28.1% turnout so far, according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Older voters, ages 55 to 74, continue to show the highest turnout.

Turnout By Age Group:

18 -24: 12,165 ballots cast – 2.74%

25-34: 56,889 ballots cast – 12.79%

35-44: 67,601 ballots cast – 15.20%

45-54: 68,540 ballots cast – 15.41%

55-64: 86,593 ballots cast – 19.47%

65-74: 88,724 ballots cast – 19.95%

75+: 63,661 ballots cast – 14.31%

Turnout Per Hour:

6:00am: 8,344 ballots cast

7:00am: 12,734 ballots cast

8:00am: 16,106 ballots cast

9:00am: 15,920 ballots cast

10:00am: 16,669 ballots cast

11:00am: 18,091 ballots cast

12:00 Noon: 17,989 ballots cast

1:00pm: 17,397 ballots cast

2:00pm: 17,746 ballots cast

3:00pm: 20,917 ballots cast

4:00pm: 28,204 ballots cast

Representing a diverse chunk of Chicago from the South Loop to Hyde Park, Ald. Sophia King has – like the other mayoral candidates in Chicago – emphasized something at the top of voters' minds: public safety. She wants to bring back 1,000 retired officers to fill staffing gaps, replace Supt. David Brown, and move officers to four-day 10-hour shifts.

Millionaire businessman and philanthropist Willie Wilson is making his hoping the third time will be the charm as he makes his latest run for mayor. After falling short in 2015 and 2019, he said he expects to finally make the runoff this time around.

Thanks to strong support from the Chicago Teachers Union, mayoral candidate and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson has been making headlines late in the campaign, climbing in the polls in recent weeks.

Mayoral candidate and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas is confident he will end up in the runoff when all is said and done after the polls close on Election Day. It's his second bid for mayor, and he entered Election Day as the clear frontrunner.

The other big political race on each Chicago ballot: Alderman.

Voters in some areas don't have any decisions to make because their alderman is running unopposed. In the 1st Ward, it's a four-way battle, meaning a run-off is likely.

CBS 2's Lauren Victory spoke with some voters about what's important to them this election. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is fighting for her political life as voters head to the polls on Election Day in Chicago, facing eight challengers and dismal approval ratings. While many polls suggest she might not make a runoff, if the mayor is concerned, she's not showing it.

As of 3 p.m., a total of 390,455 ballots have been cast in Chicago, including early voting, voting by mail, and Election Day voting at the polling places.

That amounts for 24.7% turnout so far.

Turnout By Age Group:

18 -24: 9,676 ballots cast – 2.47%

25-34: 48,141 ballots cast – 12.32%

35-44: 57,616 ballots cast – 14.75%

45-54: 58,382 ballots cast – 14.95%

55-64: 75,632 ballots cast – 19.37%

65-74: 81,184 ballots cast – 20.79%

75+: 59,735 ballots cast – 15.30%

Turnout Per Hour:

6:00am: 8,344 ballots cast

7:00am: 12,734 ballots cast

8:00am: 16,106 ballots cast

9:00am: 15,920 ballots cast

10:00am: 16,669 ballots cast

11:00am: 18,091 ballots cast

12:00 Noon: 17,989 ballots cast

1:00pm: 17,397 ballots cast

2:00pm: 17,746 ballots cast

As of noon, 331,708 total ballots have been cast.

This is a 21% total citywide turnout so far. 

The age group 65-74 continues to lead the voter turnout. 

Not sure where to go to vote? Find your polling place for Election Day on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website.

As of 9 a.m., 280,822 ballots have been cast in Chicago. 

This is 17.8% total citywide turnout. The majority of voters so far are in the age range of 65-74. 

There are 1,581,564 registered voters in Chicago. 

Not sure where to go to vote? Find your polling place for Election Day on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website.

According to the  Board of Elections, there were delays reported at 15 polling places across the city. 

The BOE will continue to provide updates throughout the day. 

The Board of Elections will work to resolve issues at polling places throughout Election Day.

Doors were locked at Canter Middle School in Ward 4 and at Old St. Mary's Church in Ward 3 when voters arrived, according to BOE officials. 

So far, one polling place reported a voter cast two ballots after the election judge accidentally provided both ballots. A BOE spokesperson said secret ballot laws prevent removing the duplicate ballot. After the election there will be partial recounts and they will report any discrepancies found. 

The judge who handed the voter two ballots was "immediately reprimanded." It is unclear if the judge will be removed.

Many calls to the BOE have been regarding supplies including pens and voter cards. They said most issues have already been resolved. 

The polls are open across the city, it's Election Day in Chicago. 

The race for Chicago's mayor remains tight. 

Voters in all 50 wards will be making a choice for aldermen Tuesday. Twelve of the wards are guaranteed to get a new leader with no incumbent on the ballot. 

Not sure where to go to vote? Find your polling place for Election Day on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website.

New data show older voters are driving early turnout in this year's election.

Early voting and vote-by-mail options have seen unprecedented interest for the Chicago mayoral race on Tuesday. Voters are coming out stronger – and early turnout is high thanks to mail-in ballots.

As of Monday night, data from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners showed 213,617 applications for mail-in ballots for the municipal election.

But younger voters 18 to 24 are the smallest voting bloc to show up to the polls so far – with the majority of ballots expected to be cast on Election Day.

This last day before the Chicago mayoral election, most of the candidates covered a lot of ground – but not all. Because the race is still considered a tossup, last-minute campaign trail face time could be critical.

All the candidates were out on the trail with cameras following them Monday, but Paul Vallas, avoided the cameras. This raised speculation that he might be avoiding questions about his Twitter account "liking" some racist and homophobic comments.

Vallas said his account was hacked.

As for Mayor Lori Lightfoot, she covered as much ground as she could in a fight to save her job.

Ald. James Gardiner (45th), who has been the subject of controversy, scrutiny, and accusations of intimidation and retribution in his term in office, faced a tough race for reelection this winter.

Gardiner, who has already been found guilty of violating the city's Ethics Code and is under federal investigation, is up against five challengers. Among them is small business owner and Local School Council member James Suh – the man whose complaint of retaliation by Gardiner got the alderman in trouble with the Board of Ethics.

Volunteers for another candidate, Jefferson Park resident Marija Tomic, also accused Gardiner of personally confronting them in an encounter that resulted in the volunteers filing a police report.  

Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) unseated longtime incumbent Joe Moore as a political newcomer, four years ago. This year, Hadden has faced two opponents in a race for reelection that has grown heated.

Challenging Hadden are Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce president Bill Morton, and entrepreneur and former Rogers Park Business Alliance board president Belia Rodriguez.

The race has been heated, especially with regard to crime, public transit, and the homeless encampment in Touhy Park -- which was the subject of a bizarre saga earlier this year in which none of the candidates were involved, but two of their names were invoked.

 Chicagoans will be voting for mayor on Tuesday, but 66 people will also be elected for the first time to oversee police accountability in the city.

As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported Monday, all 22 Chicago Police districts will be represented by three people who live in those communities. The idea is to strengthen police accountability and oversight.

This campaign season, it has been almost impossible to avoid political ads, unsolicited texts from the mayoral candidates' campaigns - and also for the first time, flyers from candidates vying for the newly-formed Chicago Police District Council positions.

On the eve of Chicago's mayoral election, the Paul Vallas campaign is denouncing what they're calling a "deceptive impersonation video" posted to Twitter.

The deepfake was viewed thousands of times before it was taken down.

As CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reported Monday, experts say the timing of the video is important.

Eight challengers seeking to deny Mayor Lori Lightfoot a second term in office.

CBS 2 Political Investigator sat down with all nine candidates for mayor ahead of the Feb. 28 election.

You can find all nine full interviews here.

As polls open in Chicago's municipal elections, will 1st Ward residents re-elect the incumbent? Or will they bring a former alderperson back to office?

Or go with an entirely new face?

Morning Insider Lauren Victory takes us inside that four-way race.

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With indicted Ald. Edward Burke stepping down after 54 years representing the 14th Ward on the Southwest Side, two candidates are looking to take the reins in Chicago's municipal election.

The 14th Ward includes parts of the Gage Park, Archer Heights, Brighton Park, and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods. Jeylú Gutiérrez and Raul Reyes are running to replace Burke, who has represented the ward since 1969, making him the longest-serving alderman in City Council history.

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Voters in 12 wards in Chicago will be choosing a new alderperson in this year's municipal elections, with their ward's incumbent either giving up their seat to run for mayor, or otherwise stepping down from office at the end of their term.

That means nearly a quarter of the city's wards are guaranteed to have a new member on the City Council come May – not counting four other wards where alderpersons already stepped down and have been replaced and are running for election to a full term, or many other wards where sitting aldermen face serious challenges on Election Day.

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Not sure where to go to vote? Find your polling place for Election Day on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website.