With votes continuing to trickle in, it looks like there will be plenty of intriguing races on the ballot when Chicagoans return to the polls for the April 4 runoff election.
As things stand, nearly one-third of the seats on the Chicago City Council will still be undecided when that vote takes place, and of course a mayoral runoff is also in the cards, as former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas takes on Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson.
Several incumbent members of the City Council, including Ald. Jim Gardiner and Timmy Knudsen, will face runoff battles to retain their seats.
In the mayoral race, Vallas has picked up nearly one-third of the vote in the Feb. 28 election, with 119,740 votes to his credit. Johnson is still far outpacing incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot, with 114,262 votes, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.
Since neither candidate received 50% of the available votes, a runoff will be held to determine the winner, with the inauguration set for May.
So far, 48,842 mail-in ballots have been received and counted post-Election Day, with another 47,588 still outstanding. So long as ballots were postmarked by Election Day, they can still be counted, so long as they are received by March 14.
Here are the latest updates on the 14 City Council runoff elections we could potentially see, and one where the incumbent is likely to narrowly avoid a runoff.
Local
Ward 1
In the city’s first ward, it appears that incumbent Ald. Daniel La Spata is heading for a runoff. He received 49.72% of the vote, just shy of the majority he would need to keep his seat outright.
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Sam Royko bested Andy Schneider for second place in that race to claim his spot in a potential runoff.
Ward 4
In the race to replace Ald. Sophia King, who is running in eighth place in the Chicago mayoral race, Lamont Robinson has a comfortable lead at 46.17%, but he will still face a runoff.
The question remains whether he’ll face Prentice Butler or Ebony Lucas, with Butler leading by just 85 votes.
Ward 5
Ald. Leslie Hairston’s seat was up for an open election, with Desmon Yancy and Martina Hone appearing poised to battle in a runoff after finishing in the top two.
Ward 6
Speaking of mayoral candidates, Ald. Roderick Sawyer’s seat will come down to William Hall and Richard Wooten, who separated themselves from the pack to reach the runoff.
Ward 10
With Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza retiring, it will be Peter Chico and Ana Guajardo in a runoff election for the ward that represents parts of South Deering and Hegewisch.
Ward 11
Ald. Nicole Lee, appointed by Lightfoot, is just ahead of Tony Ciaravino, and will face him in a runoff.
Ward 21
Ald. Howard Brookins’ seat is up for grabs, with Ronnie Mosley and Cornell Dantzler set to face off in a runoff.
Ward 24
Ald. Monique Scott, also appointed by Lightfoot, sits at 45.4% of the vote. She will likely face Creative Scott in a runoff, with Vetress Boyce 146 votes behind as mail-in ballots continue to trickle in.
Ward 29
Ald. Chris Taliaferro has 50.32% of the vote, so it’s looking like he’ll avoid a runoff against CB Johnson.
Ward 30
Jessica Gutierrez will qualify for a runoff, and will likely face Ruth Cruz in the race to replace Ald. Ariel Reboyras.
Ward 36
Ald. Gilbert Villegas, who represents parts of the Belmont Cragin neighborhood, will face Leonor Torres Whitt in a runoff to keep his seat.
Ward 43
Ald. Timmy Knudsen received just over one-quarter of the votes in his ward, and will face a runoff against Brian Comer, whom he is ahead of by less than 400 votes.
Ward 45
Ald. Jim Gardiner is also likely heading to a runoff, where it appears he’ll face Megan Mathias. James Suh is 354 votes behind her.
Ward 46
Angela Clay will face Kim Walz in the race to replace Ald. James Cappleman.
Ward 48
Joe Dunne and Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth are neck-and-neck in the election and will square off in a runoff to replace Ald. Harry Osterman.
