Pressure is ratcheting up in the closing days of the Chicago mayoral campaign, as Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson work to showcase their records and to earn every single vote possible.
Both candidates were on the trail in a big way Monday, with Johnson appearing at a City Club event and Vallas speaking to a group of labor supporters at a rally and press event.
For Vallas, who holds a narrow lead in several recently-released polls, voter turnout is turning into a key campaign point.
“We have to get out there, we have to educate people, and we have to take people to the polls if we have to,” Deborah Lane, a local labor leader, said.
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“Union members have got to get out and vote, and no matter what happens, the house of labor will come back together when this is over,” Jim Sweeney, representing International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, added.
Public safety was front-of-mind for those at the Vallas event, as his campaign has focused heavily on that theme.
“The police definitely need help,” Sweeney said. “There are 2,000 spots that are open (on the force).”
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Johnson, who was joined by Rev. Jesse Jackson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, was asked to clarify comments he made in 2020 with regards to defunding police as a political goal.
“We have spent almost $1 billion of taxpayer funding just to deal with police misconduct,” he said. “I said that I’m not interested in defunding police, however.”
Both candidates discussed other controversies that have popped up in recent days, including a series of political signs that have been seen on the South and West sides of the city that connect Vallas’ mayoral campaign with the political goals of the “Make America Great Again” movement, which is spearheaded by former President Donald Trump.
Vallas insists that the signs are designed to sow doubts about his Democratic credentials, a charge he has repeatedly tackled during the campaign.
“They’re trying to create a false narrative,” he said. “They’ve been doing it from the very beginning.”
Johnson denied that his campaign had any involvement with the production and distribution of the signs, but has run political ads showcasing comments Vallas made about his political identity.
He has also accused Vallas of holding conservative ideals in pointing out the endorsement of the Chicago chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, something Vallas has tried to downplay during the campaign.
Education has also taken on a big role in the final days of the campaign. Johnson, who has received the endorsement of the Chicago Teachers Union, has faced criticism amid reports that teachers at Lindblom High School took students to an early-voting site and apparently encouraged them to vote for his campaign.
Chicago Public Schools are reviewing whether a formal investigation will be required, according to a statement sent to NBC 5.
“Chicago Public Schools does not coordinate with any political candidates or campaigns,” a spokesperson said. “CPS encourages student engagement with the electoral process through our nonpartisan election and civic engagement curriculum, but we do not endorse specific candidates.”
“It’s about using questionable methods of getting people to the polls who will vote for their candidates,” Vallas said of the reports. “It’s not surprising.”
Johnson dismissed charges of inappropriate conduct.
“If you’re asking me if everybody should have the right to vote, I do believe we should be encouraging everyone to vote,” he said.
This isn’t the first time a mayoral candidate has found themselves in hot water over interactions with schools and teachers, as current Mayor Lori Lightfoot is facing an ethics investigation after her campaign staff tried to recruit high school students to volunteer for her campaign in exchange for class credit.
Lightfoot attributed that effort to a campaign staffer, and said that the email addresses used in the case were publicly-available, and were not obtained using city services.
The debate over the city’s use of selective-enrollment high schools has also come to the forefront, with Johnson saying that he wants to add more resources to the school system to ease the burden on that process.
“The people of Chicago want a just and equitable system, where no matter where you live in the city of Chicago, you have access to a fully-funded neighborhood school,” he said.
Selective-enrollment schools are public schools that “provide academically advanced students with a challenging” college prep experience, according to the CPS.
Johnson’s campaign said he would not end the selective enrollment system, but would instead seek to invest more in neighborhood schools to “reduce the pressure on families and the selective enrollment process.”
Vallas, the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, has been an outspoken proponent of school choice during his political career, including charter schools and moving money to private schools, according to WBEZ.
At any rate, both candidates are trying to articulate their long-term visions, and to make their final cases to voters as the election nears.
“I’m running in this moment to make sure that we all take a collective responsibility to make sure that we’re digging, building, and saving lives,” Johnson said.
“It’s going to be close, and getting the vote out is going to be critically important,” Vallas added.
