CBS 2 Vault: Harold Washington vs. Bernard Epton on Chicago Mayoral Election Day 1983, 40 years later

CHICAGO (CBS) -- On April 12, 1983 – 40 years ago Wednesday – Chicago voters went to the polls to elect a new mayor, and voter turnout set a record.

U.S. Rep. Harold Washington was bidding to become Chicago's first Black mayor – running on a platform calling for an end to political patronage hiring and firing, more freedom of information on the part of government, and a fairer and more equitable Chicago with services distributed evenly to all, among other reforms. That February, Washington had won a three-way primary against incumbent Mayor Jane Byrne, and Cook County State's Attorney and future Mayor Richard M. Daley, with 36 percent of the vote.

Bernard Epton hoped to become Chicago's first Republican mayor in 56 years; the last Republican mayor elected in Chicago as of 1983 – and still as of 2023 – was William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson, who won a nonconsecutive second term in 1927. It had been an ugly and bitter campaign, with many Epton supporters openly seeking to block Washington from winning the mayoral contest because of his race.

An hour before the polls closed that spring Tuesday 40 years ago, CBS 2 went on the air with the hourlong Channel 2 News at Six. You saw the full newscast on our stream this past Saturday, and you have likely seen parts of it floating around our website and social media for several years – the first few minutes have been a supplement to many of our historical stories on the 1983 mayoral election. But for the 40th anniversary of that historic day, we went back to the original 3/4-inch tape and gave it a fresh viewing. So here it is in its entirety – the Channel 2 News at Six from Tuesday, April 12, 1983.

Part I (video at top of post):

The famous big newsroom in our old broadcast center at 630 N. McClurg Ct. is dressed up as Channel 2 Election Headquarters. All three of CBS 2's principal anchors – Don Craig, Walter Jacobson, and Harry Porterfield – are on the anchor desk (if you're wondering where Bill Kurtis is, this was during a period of a few years when he was in New York anchoring the CBS Morning News – which we now call CBS Mornings).

After a classic newscast open, we begin with Carol Krause at the Board of Election Commissioners. As of 6 p.m., almost 1.5 million people had already voted in Chicago, and total turnout was estimated at 88 percent. By contrast, the runoff election between Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas last week was only about 39 percent.

Krause takes us on a tour of polling places around the city and highlights some of the concerns that came up – and then speaks live with Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chairman Michael Lavelle (1938-2009) about the turnout and the hygiene of the election. You might notice he drops a name still familiar in the world of Chicago politics and law today – then-U.S. Attorney Dan Webb was most recently in the headlines as the special prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case.

Next, Phil Walters reports on the last day of Harold Washington's campaign. Washington cast his ballot that morning in Hyde Park where he lived, and said he would keep campaigning until half an hour before the close of voting. Meanwhile, troops of volunteers for Washington took to the streets – Operation PUSH brought in 900 students from six state universities. In his live shot, Walters notes that Pat Caddell, a pollster for Washington, said an analysis of voter turnout seemed to bode well for Washington.

(Note: Walters' package was truncated in the original broadcast due to what appeared to be technical difficulties in which it abruptly cut out. We made a small edit to eliminate a point where the screen briefly went blank.)

Finally in this first block, Terry Anzur is following Bernie Epton as the candidate casts his ballot at the Carnegie Theatre on Rush Street – and then goes to the White Sox home opener at Comiskey Park with then-Gov. Jim Thompson and Illinois House Speaker (and future Gov.) George Ryan. Thompson was predicting a victory for Epton and criticized Washington for bringing in national Democrats to campaign for him.

Meanwhile, Epton's supporters spent Election Day knocking on doors on the Northwest Side. The residents of the 38th Ward were lifelong Democrats, but precinct captains did not expect Democratic nominee Washington would get much more than 6 percent of the vote.

In her live shot, Anzur talks with Epton campaign strategist Arthur Telcser (1932-1999), who argues that the high turnout was encouraging for Epton's candidacy.

Part II:

Lakefront liberals, a predominantly white demographic known for valuing reform and good government, received a great deal of attention from both the Washington and Epton campaigns during the 1983 mayoral contest. I.J. Hudson visited Lakeview for this Election Day '83 newscast – making stops in three different communities.

In the high-rises along Belmont Harbor – an area that looks much the same in this 40-year-old video as it does today – the voters who talked with Hudson were split between Washington and Epton. A bit farther west in the area of Addison and Fremont streets, there was strong support for Washington – to the point where his campaign expected he would capture 70 percent of the vote in the 44th Ward, 36th Precinct. And farther west still at Ashland and Waveland avenues – an intersection that might be hard to recognize today in this video if they hadn't shown the street signs – support was stronger for Epton.

Next, Phil Ponce reports live from a polling place in Pilsen – where voter turnout was low relative to much of the city. It was thought likely that turnout for the general election would be dwarfed in the precinct by turnout for the February primary election. Ponce notes Washington's campaign expected he would receive 60 percent of the Latino vote citywide – with the Puerto Rican community in the Humboldt Park area turning out especially enthusiastically for Washington.

Finally, a brief piece of non-election news – Illinois state Sen. William Marovitz is pleading innocent to federal charges of influence peddling. He was accused of trying to extort a Skokie construction company. Marovitz was ultimately acquitted of those charges.

Part III:

John Coughlin has the weather forecast. Chicago almost made it through the voting period without any rain, but rain had begun falling during that last hour the polls were open – and significant amounts of rain were expected in the days to come. Coughlin also has a national outlook – heavy snow in the Mountain West, clear and warm in the South.

Notice that Coughlin does a much of his forecast on a permanent map in the weather center with letters, numbers, and symbols attached – and the even the panels on his ChromaKey screen rotate to reveal a printed map of the greater Chicago area.

Also in this block, Burleigh Hines tells us about some major political contests in Chicago suburbs. Morton Grove had the nation's toughest handgun ban at the time – and two of the trustees who had voted for the ordinance were up for reelection. The ban was enacted in 1981, and was repealed in 2008 in the wake of the District of Columbia v. Heller Supreme Court case.

Meanwhile in wealthy Kenilworth, referenda on local taxes and spending were on the ballot. One of the referenda called for a 25 percent cut in the police force.

Part IV:

In addition to the race for mayor, special runoff aldermanic elections were held in 14 wards to determine the new makeup of the City Council – with 11 involving incumbents up for reelection. Mike Parker is on the set with a breakdown.

You'll notice a lot of names familiar to students of 2023 Chicago politics among these candidates. Recently-retired U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush was challenging Ald. William Barnett in the 2nd Ward – Rush won that race, and served as an alderman until he first ran for Congress in 1992. Meanwhile, Timothy Evans, who had been alderman of the 4th Ward since 1973, was facing a challenge from Toni Preckwinkle. Evans won reelection in 1983 – and went on to serve as Mayor Washington's floor leader and Finance Committee chairman – but lost his seat in the City Council to Preckwinkle in 1991. Preckwinkle, of course, is now Cook County Board President, while Evans is Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court.

Also, Pat O'Connor was up against incumbent Ivan Rittenberg for alderman of the 40th Ward – O'Connor won. O'Connor held the seat for 36 years and served as Mayor Rahm Emanuel's floor leader – but lost to current Ald. Andre Vasquez in 2019. And in the 46th Ward, Assistant Corporation Counsel Jerry Orbach – not to be confused with the actor of the same name – was facing artist and community activist Charlotte Newfeld to replace Ald. Ralph Axelrod, who was not seeking another term. Orbach won by just 66 votes, but Newfeld – who passed away in 2022 – remained active in political advocacy for many years and was credited with helping secure many victories for gay and lesbian rights in Chicago. Orbach went on to lose to activist Helen Shiller in 1987.

Meanwhile, Camilla Carr reports on the mayoral race that led up to that day 40 years ago, just how ugly it got, and just how tired many were of it all – with some feeling as though personal attacks had obscured what Washington and Epton each even stood for in terms of policy. This warrants a deeper and more serious dive into history.

Bernie Epton had been an Illinois state representative since 1969 – he and Harold Washington were both residents of the Hyde Park neighborhood and had served in the state House together. Epton had been active in the Civil Rights movement and had fought redlining and supported open housing, and he had marched in Memphis after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Epton had also said he had hoped race would not be a key issue in the 1983 mayoral campaign. But some people acting in his name made certain that it was – and they did not bother to hide behind dog whistles in their words and actions.

Epton's main line of attack against Washington revolved around past legal issues – most notably the fact that while serving as a state representative, Washington had pleaded no contest in 1971 to failing to file tax returns for four nonconsecutive years. As David Moberg explained in this 1983 Chicago Reader article, Washington had had income taxes deducted for all the years in question, but had only failed to file returns. The amount Washington owed for all the four years in question amounted to $508.65 – and for one of those years, he would have been eligible for a refund, Moberg wrote. Further, as many sources note, such an infraction usually only resulted in a fine. But Washington was sent to jail for 36 days – and the Epton campaign honed in on that, and claims about unpaid bills, in attack ads.

Epton claimed the slogan used in a line of ads, "Epton for mayor, before it's too late," was only about his quest to rescue the city from financial troubles and possible bankruptcy – and blamed the print media for insinuating it could mean anything else. But that slogan was widely understood to be a racial plea at the time, and few describe it as anything other than that today.

However, it was not Epton himself, but rather some of the people supporting him who were to blame for the most vile, odious words and actions heard and seen during the campaign.

Hate literature was distributed in neighborhoods on the Northwest and Southwest sides, in some cases by police officers. The language documented as having been used in the leaflets was appalling – ranging from overt and brazen racism to false rumors about Washington, even going so far as to fabricate a slanderous claim that he had been arrested for sexual abuse. Some of Epton's supporters identified themselves with solid white buttons on their shirts – or most offensively, buttons displaying a watermelon slice with a slash across it.

The most infamous incident in the campaign came on Palm Sunday – only a couple of weeks before Election Day – when Washington was stumping with then-Presidential hopeful Walter Mondale at St. Pascal Roman Catholic Church on West Irving Park Road. Epton supporters gathered in a hostile and vitriolic mob of what was reported to be more than 200 people, holding signs and screaming at the candidates as they chanted Epton's name. Racial slurs were hurled, and some accounts say stones were thrown. Racist, threatening graffiti was discovered scrawled on the side of the church.

Washington and Mondale canceled their event and left before they were able to speak. CBS 2 cameras were present for the St. Pascal incident, some video of which is seen in Carr's package.

Washington and Mondale both took Epton to task for the melee at St. Pascal. Epton denounced the mob and its conduct and emphasized he had nothing to do with it, while in turn taking Mondale to task for suggesting that he did, according to published reports.

Washington's campaign staff then turned footage from the St. Pascal melee into a commercial of their own. "When you vote Tuesday, be sure it's a vote you can be proud of," they said after showing the hostile Epton supporters.

Some Epton supporters also claimed that the city would suffer or decay under a Washington administration; that property values would fall, and businesses would leave. Washington's supporters said his mission was to improve the city for all, and that such doomsday prophecies were reflections of racism.

Carr notes in her report that Washington and Epton had agreed to meet for a unity breakfast the following morning – no matter who won. Epton did not end up going – he immediately left on a trip to Florida and sent his brother, Judge Saul Epton, instead. Washington's primary challengers – outgoing Mayor Byrne and State's Attorney Daley – did attend.

A good resource to learn more about this historic, but ugly chapter in Chicago history, as well as Mayor Washington's time in office afterward, is the 1997 "This American Life" episode, "Harold" – in which many who were there for it all speak to host Ira Glass.

Also of interest is this 2009 "This American Life" segment by Alex Kotlowitz, who talked with Epton's daughter Dale and son Jeff about a legacy Epton to this day cannot escape.

Part V:

It's time for sports with Johnny Morris. A lot was going on in Chicago on this day 40 years ago – as noted earlier, the White Sox also played their home opener that day at old Comiskey Park. A total of 38,000 fans turned up – including candidate Epton and Gov. Thompson. Morris also talked with Sox President Eddie Einhorn, first baseman and outfielder Tom Paciorek, and WGN Radio's Wally Phillips – who threw out the first ball. We also get a glimpse of the old White Sox mascots – Ribbie and Roobarb.

The White Sox lost the game to the Baltimore Orioles by a score of 10-8. But they won the American League West Division championship in 1983 – only to lose the American League Championship series to… the Orioles again. Also, the manager of the White Sox at the time? The same man as just one year ago – Tony La Russa – though there was a gap of 35 years between his two stints on the South Side.

Meanwhile, the Cubs were on the road on Election Day '83 – and they won their first game of the season with a 5-0 victory over the Montreal Expos. The Cubs finished the 1983 season with a record of 71-91, but won the National League Eastern Division championship a year later.

Also in sports, before there was the Chicago Fire or MLS, there was the Chicago Sting – they beat the St. Louis Steamers that day. We also see highlights from a horserace called by the inimitable Phil Georgeff – "Here they come spinning out of the turn!" – and a little Blackhawks practice video as they prepared to begin their playoff series with the Minnesota North Stars.

After sports, we have another break from Election Day news as Bob Wallace takes us to an Oscars costume party in Melrose Park. True to form, Wallace is wearing a funny hat himself as he helps himself to some Italian sausage at the party.

The Oscars in 1983 were held on a Monday night in April rather than a Sunday night in February as we're used to today – and the Monday night in question just so happened to be the night before Chicago's Election Day. "Gandhi" won the award for Best Picture that year, while Ben Kingsley won for Best Actor in the same film.

Part VI:

With 10 minutes to go in the newscast – and until the polls were set to close – Political Editor Mike Flannery comes onto the set with the results of a CBS 2 Newspoll.

Meanwhile as he discusses the results of the poll with anchormen Craig, Jacobson, and Porterfield, Flannery notes that while the polls still had a few minutes to go at the time, precinct captains and ward leaders were saying it was not looking good for Epton.

Part VII:

John Coughlin returns with the five-day weather forecast, and we get a preview of what's to come on Channel 2 for the evening as the Dick Marx Orchestra plays us out.

What happened next

With 98 percent of the precincts reporting, CBS 2 projected Harold Washington the winner of the mayoral race late that night. The race was tight, with Washington capturing about 52 percent of the vote compared with about 48 percent for Epton. Socialist candidate Ed Warren got a fraction of a percent of the vote.

In an iconic moment in Chicago political history, a victorious Washington came out in the wee hours Wednesday, April 13, to tell the cheering crowd at Donnelley Hall near McCormick Place: "You want Harold? Well, here's Harold!"

In his victory speech, Washington said in part: "Chicago has seen the bright daybreak for this city and for perhaps this entire country. The whole nation is watching as Chicago is so powerful in this! Oh yeah, yeah, they're watching. They're watching. Out of the crucible of this city's most trying election, carried on the tide of the most massive voter turnout in Chicago's history. Blacks. Whites. Hispanics. Jews. Gentiles. Protestants and Catholics of all stripes – have joined hands to form a new democratic coalition – and to begin in this place a new democratic movement."

Washington continued: "The talents and dreams of our citizens and neighborhoods will nourish our government the way it should be cherished and feed into the moving river of mankind. And we have kept the faith in ourselves as decent, caring people who gather together as a part of something greater than themselves. We never stopped believing that we were a part of something good and something that had never happened before."

Meanwhile, Epton did not challenge or question the results of the election – but Roger Biles wrote in the 2018 book "Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform in Chicago" that Epton accepted defeat "gracelessly." The candidate spoke to supporters at the Palmer House when results were looking encouraging earlier in the night, but never came back to give a concession speech, Biles wrote.

The Washington Post reported at the time that even before the results of the election were anywhere near determining a winner, Epton was slamming newspaper editorial boards and columnists such as Mike Royko and Roger Simon – both of the Sun-Times at the time – calling the latter "slime." Simon responded to Washington Post reporter Christian Williams, "Being called slime by Bernard Epton is like being called ugly by a frog."

Upon leaving the Palmer House on Election Night, Epton said Washington would need good luck in handling the city's financial issues, while adding, "Maybe he'll learn to pay his bills and promptly pay his taxes," Biles wrote. Multiple sources point out that Epton later added that voters had "left their brains at home."

After he was sworn in on April 29, 1983, Mayor Washington hit the ground running right away on his platform of reform – immediately agreeing to the federal Shakman decree that prohibited almost all political hiring and firing, and also drafting an executive order on freedom of information in city government. Washington as mayor was an inspiration to many – including a young recent graduate of Columbia University who arrived in Chicago in 1985 to work as a community organizer. His name was Barack Obama.

But Washington also immediately faced hostile opposition in the City Council.

Ald. Ed Vrdolyak (10th) led a group of 29 aldermen that were allied to the old Democratic machine, compared with 21 who sided with the mayor. The "Vrdolyak 29" blocked Washington's legislative and appointments. Shouting matches broke out on the council floor.

Washington's backers said the opposition and hostility Washington faced in the City Council was clear evidence of racism. Others said it was simply an issue of majority rule. The conflict between Washington and Vrdolyak led a national publication to call the city "Beirut on the Lake."

"The 29 not only blocked his appointments, but never brought them up for consideration. They blocked most of his legislative initiatives, and dedicated an enormous energy to looking for ways to embarrass him; thwart him," Ira Glass said in that 1997 episode of "This American Life." "It was mayhem; a battle so divisive and chaotic that it sustained the animosity and suspicion between Black Chicago and white Chicago for years."

The mayor eventually won Council Wars. Ward boundaries were changed by court order, and special elections were held in certain wards in 1986. The 25-25 split between supporters and opponents of Washington's policies allowed Washington to pursue his agenda unimpeded.

A year later, Washington was reelected, defeating former Mayor Byrne in the February primary, and winning 53 percent of the vote in the general election against Republican Donald Haider, and Vrdolyak, who had left the City Council and was running with the Illinois Solidarity Party. Epton had sought to run in the Republican mayoral primary in 1987, but did not collect enough signatures to make the ballot.

The late Hyde Park community activist Sam Ackerman worked on Mayor Washington's campaigns. In a 2001 column in the University of Chicago paper the Chicago Weekly News – for which, full disclosure, the author of this article was publisher as a college student at the time – Ackerman noted how Chicago had changed by 1987 compared with four years earlier.

"Harold's 1987 reelection was the springboard to even higher levels of achievement," Ackerman wrote. "His mandate extended to all parts of the city – with surprisingly new segments of the citizenry starting to speak of him as 'our mayor' – all because of his style of reaching out and including everyone in city government and standing for what was right, rather than what was just expedient."

But on Nov. 25, 1987 – the day before Thanksgiving and just seven months into his second term – Mayor Washington slumped over at his desk while talking to his press secretary, Alton Miller. The mayor was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where doctors tried everything to get his heart pumping again. But Washington died that afternoon, at the age of 65.

Bernie Epton died less than three weeks later on Dec. 13, during a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan to visit his son, Jeff. Epton was 66. 

In the 2009 "This American Life" episode, it is reported that Epton had heard Mayor Washington was considering appointing him to a city commission – but Mayor Washington died before that could happen. Jeff Epton says in the segment that his father, who had suffered from depression, had seen the possible commission appointment as the last chance to redeem his tarnished reputation.

After Mayor Washington died, Ald. David Orr (49th) took over as interim mayor. After seven days that culminated in a contentious, wild City Council meeting, Ald. Eugene Sawyer (6th) was selected to finish Washington's term as acting mayor.

Sawyer in turn lost to Richard M. Daley in a special election in 1989. Daley went on to serve 22 years as mayor before retiring in 2011. Rahm Emanuel served two terms as mayor after that, before a surprise announcement that he would not seek reelection in 2019. Lori Lightfoot was elected mayor that year, but lost her bid for reelection this year – as she came in third in a field of nine candidates.

Just last week, Brandon Johnson beat Paul Vallas in a runoff to be elected Chicago's 57th mayor – in a race that reminded some of the 1983 contest in how close it was. On Wednesday, Johnson honored Mayor Washington on this 40th anniversary of a historic election.

Finally, of the CBS 2 anchors and reporters you see in this newscast, Phil Walters, John Coughlin, Burleigh Hines, Mike Parker, and Bob Wallace have all since passed away. Here's to the fine work that everyone in this newscast did.