Brandon Johnson

Chicago's Austin Neighborhood Buzzing After Brandon Johnson Mayoral Win

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Chicago’s Austin neighborhood is downright buzzing after Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson was projected the mayor-elect of the city on Tuesday night by the Associated Press and NBC News.

Johnson, a Cook County Commissioner who frequently discussed his roots in the neighborhood during the campaign, will be sworn in as the city’s 57th mayor on May 15, and his neighbors couldn’t be happier.

“He is just a regular person like me,” Austin resident Vanessa Horton said. “He goes through the things we’ve went through in the city, so I feel like growing up in Chicago and actually seeing someone here to represent that is amazing.”

Horton said that Johnson lives right down the street from her, and that she has followed his rise closely.

Johnson frequents MacArthur’s Restaurant, and staff and ownership there shared the excitement over his victory.

“I love it. Last night when he gave his closing remarks about how he can identify with people, and as I watched it, it was like watching a brother of mine,” Maurice Gaiter said.

Marshawn Feltus, who owns a business in Austin, echoed similar sentiments.

“The believability that he would do what he said he’s going to do is much more comforting because I’ve seen him in action already in the community,” he said.

Johnson’s victory follows a tight election that saw him start out as an underdog against Paul Vallas, but the commissioner was able to coalesce progressive voters behind his candidacy and was able to increase turnout among younger voters, both of which were key to his win.

“That person-to-person, neighbor-to-neighbor communication is what really moves votes,” Marj Halperin, vice-chair of the Indivisible Chicago Alliance, said.

Ground game and organizing both played a key role as well, with Johnson’s experiences as an activist shining through.

“The lack of name recognition was overcome by the resources and infrastructure,” Northwestern professor Jaime Dominguez said. “More importantly, the agency that the Chicago Teachers Union brought in (helped) Johnson connect with voters and also just letting people know who he was.”

As Johnson prepares for the transition to office, and to his May inauguration, there are questions about whether he will remain in Austin, but his campaign tells NBC 5 that he “absolutely” intends to stay in the neighborhood for the long-term.

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