There are two important elections taking place today: Chicago Mayor and the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Here’s why the Chicago mayor’s race is important.
This race is ostensibly between two Democrats, but when you listen to the candidates you’ll swear one was a Republican. That candidate is Paul Vallas, the former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, who has run and lost for mayor once (as well as governor and lieutenant governor) but came in first in the February election. Since he did not clear 50%, he was forced into today’s runoff against Cook County Supervisor Brandon Johnson. No one is going to mistake Johnson for a Republican.
Vallas has embraced all sorts of Republican talking points over the years, including going on right wing talk radio and attacking the Obamas (for fun, apparently). He has the endorsement of the Chicago Police union, whose leader is white supremacist, and is running a “law and order” campaign. Johnson, an organizer and lobbyist for the Chicago Teachers Union, is running a progressive campaign based on addressing the root causes of crime rather than being just reactionary about it. To be sure, Vallas’ positions are somewhat more nuanced than the campaign he is running, but folks are right to be skeptical about someone who has the full support of one of the most corrupt and racist police departments in the country.
What polling there is in this race suggests Vallas will win, but it will be close. I have not seen a poll yet that had either candidate with 50%, but I have not seen many polls in this race so I may have missed something. In the primary, Vallas did well with white and Asian voters. Johnson did well with progressive white voters and all Black voters. Latinos went for Johnson, but it was closer – and reportedly some believe Vallas is Latino, which he is not. The Latino vote may end up deciding this race.
A Vallas victory, like that of Eric Adams in New York in 2021, will further a narrative by centrist Democrats that progressive policies and politics are losers. A Vallas election will be viewed as a victory of cops over teachers - which is exactly how the Vallas campaign is framing this election on the trail to supporters. It will complicate the ability of progressive leaders to further their agenda as the James Carville wing of the party will argue to tack towards the right and appeal to conservative white voters.
Here’s why the Wisconsin Supreme Court race is important.
Currently, the Wisconsin Supreme Court includes four conservatives and three liberals. One of the conservatives is not running for reelection; hence, the open seat. The Badger State court has been hostile to voting rights, and recently upheld an embarrassingly partisan redistricting map that the legislature submitted to it after Gov. Tony Evers (D) vetoed it. The decision was made by a party-line vote of 4-3. The US Supreme Court rejected an argument that the Constitution forbids partisan gerrymandering, and that it was a matter for state courts to decide based on state law.
Today’s election, like Chicago’s, is technically a runoff in which no candidate won an outright majority in the February election. Liberal Judge Janet Protasiewicz and conservative former Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly are the candidates. Kelly, who is an outspoken right winger, lost reelection to the Supreme Court to a liberal challenger in 2020.
Kelly’s campaign has conducted a graphic scare campaign reminiscent of the attacks on Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential race, claiming Protasiewicz is going to let dangerous criminals out of jail. Kelly already has a track record of being hostile to voting rights and abortion rights. Protasiewicz has campaigned on protecting abortion rights and opposing political gerrymanders, as well as supporting voting rights in general. The choice is pretty clear in this race.
We should expect Republicans to attempt to disenfranchise voters ahead of the 2024 general election and use the courts to try to undermine a potential Democratic victory in Wisconsin, perhaps through fake Electors or other methods that failed them in 2020. It’s not hyperbole to say that Wisconsin’s Electoral Vote could be the difference between a Democratic or Republican presidency next year. A pro-voting rights state Supreme Court is the firewall we need to prevent the right wing from stealing a national election. It’s not the only thing we need to protect democracy, but it’s the one thing that we can do something about right now.
Here’s how you can help today.
Mobilize can connect you to phone banks and text banks. Search for “Wisconsin” or “Chicago” in “filters” to find activities near you or remote ones.
Here’s where you can follow the results tonight:
Chicago: Chicago Tribune and New York Times.
Wisconsin: Politico. The New York Times should have results for this election as well, but I could not find a direct link to it.