By: Mark Glennon*
Anybody genuinely interested in the fate of America’s cites should pay attention to Chicago for the next three and a half months. On February 28, the city will hold its election for mayor, as well as clerk, treasurer and the entire city council.
For a host of reasons, campaigns for those elections will be much different than what we just went through nationally. The Chicago election just might be the chance to look seriously at problems widely shared in larger cities across the country, at long last.
For starters, Chicago elections are officially nonpartisan, and they will be in fact because all entrants are Democrats. Many party issues that dominated the recent elections therefore will be — or at least should be — of little relevance, including Trump, Biden, abortion, “election denial” and the January 6 Capitol riot.
Further, almost all state and local elections to be held in 2023 are later than Chicago’s and most are not until November 7. Political reporters and policy analysts therefore won’t have much to do unless they focus on Chicago for now.
Chicago voters and the media won’t be overwhelmed with the list of genuinely existential threats facing America and Illinois that were relevant to the recent state and national elections. That list was that was far too long for the average voter to process and much of it was suppressed by the media.
It will be hard for Chicago to look away from its problems in 2023. Staring voters in their faces will be crime, taxes, failing schools, corruption, declining population, empty offices and public transit, affordable housing, business flight and the power of teachers’ unions. Progressive causes such as “equity” and zero-emission energy target will also be on the table.
We intend to cover it all in addition to our usual focus. Most of it will pertain to many other cities.
School-choice is one matter where the Illinois debate has been particularly lagging compared to other states, but we might finally get a thorough look at it in the Chicago race because at least one mayoral candidate, Paul Vallas, believes in it.
It’s one cause on which the left should be on board because “there was a nationwide school-choice wave” in last week’s elections and polls consistently show overwhelming, bipartisan support for it. Interestingly, even Gov. JB Pritzker recently softened his position on it, saying “Yes” to a candidate questionnaire that asked, “Do you support Illinois’ tax credit scholarship program that provides financial support for students to attend private and parochial schools?”
We hope the national media cover the Chicago election thoroughly, and not just because Chicago issues apply to many other cities: We need them to help provide balance because Chicago media are now overwhelmingly left.
The Chicago Tribune’s recent lurch to the left sealed what is now a near complete monopoly of progressive bias in Chicago news and commentary. The others include The Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ, WTTW, Crain’s, The Chicago Reader, Axios and Block Club Chicago. Talk radio is a welcome exception that includes opinion diversity and some television coverage is balanced, but on the whole voters who rely on Chicago media are in alternate universe.
That media issue is among Chicago’s most serious problems. We will continue to present their reporting and commentary, but we will do our best to collect and express different viewpoints.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
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The February 28 Chicago election will be followed by a run-off election on April 4 if no candidate wins a majority.
Announced candidates are incumbent Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Teachers Union organizer Brandon Johnson, State Rep. Kam Buckner, former candidate for governor and Chicago school superintendent Paul Vallas, Ald. Raymond Lopez, Ald. Sophia King, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, activist Ja’ Mal Green, businessman Willie Wilson and US Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
The only common sense, pragmatic, fiscally conservative candidate for mayor is Paul Vallas. What chance does he have? Even if he wins, how does he deal with Preckwinkle, Foxx, Evans, and the CTU?
The big question is Chicago and Illinois worth saving? I say it must get a lot worse before it gets better. Assuming the election process is not loaded with fraud….voters brought this on themselves. You make your bed and you sleep in it. The state has become the epicenter of ridiculous moronic progressive socialism. You want to try to save it from the Bolsheviks? They will remake and destroy everything. These people were voted into office, Dan Proft and all that money spent was a waste. Bailey never had a chance. Illinois is California or New York. You have your… Read more »
“The Chicago election WILL NOT BE the chance to look seriously at problems shared in larger cities across the country, at long last.” Enough with the optimism and cheerleading already! Democrats do not believe there are any serious problems, at least none encouraged or created by them. And, NO, Pritzker will not soften any of his positions, he doesn’t have to. If this is what history books are telling you about Illinois you need to get a new book .
Marie, some people have to believe things will get better, otherwise they would need to face reality and move to another state. History indicates there is absolutely no reason for optimism in Illinois. I think the Wirepoint authors agree.
ToughLove and Marie, I stand by the reasons why we do what we do here that I wrote four years ago. There is more to it than you have addressed: https://wirepoints.org/is-illinois-worth-fighting-for-quicktake/
IL is worth fighting for, but we need $500,000,000 and a ballot harvesting operation to rival Tammany Hall. And control of both houses of the legislature during a redistricting year. Until this happens, there’s no chance. Every IL gov. candidate, R or D, in recent history has received roughly between 1.5 and 1.8 million votes. Until JB’s bag came along and suddenly every Democrat on the ballot is getting between 2.2 and 2.5 million votes while Republicans stay within their historical range of roughly between 1.5 and 1.8 million votes. I know people are going to scream “conspiracy theory! there’s… Read more »
I’m really confused what was the point of writing the article then? We just had elections here, we all know how bad this state is. If we know there’s no reason for optimism in Illinois why belabor the point?
The point was that people everywhere concerned about big city problems should be following this Chicago election because many of the issues they all face will be on the table here, and they might get some genuine debate because there is not much else going on politically.
Marie, people in other states are more interested in fixing their city problems than here. I think you missed the point of the column.
I have been around long enough to have gone through Mayor Daley 1 and Mayor Daley 2. I’ve also been around for all the years of Mike Madigan, all the pensions of Jim Edgar, pension increases for all public sector workers, tax increases, and lockdowns and mandates. Was it your point that all of these issues will be fixed going forward?
It is going to be very hard to beat Chuy Garcia. Paul Vallas has to get his face and issues out in front of everybody. He has to make it hard for the media to ignore him. I don’t view the two as the same, but Vallas has to get the voters in Chicago who don’t like Pritzker and voted for Bailey to vote for him.
Chuy wins this one hands down.
Chuy vs Vallas: I don’t see Chuy getting the old-school Black vote. They overwhelmingly chose Rahm over Chuy in 2015. What’s different this time around? Chuy will scare the north side libs like he did before, but maybe not as much as in 2015.
Are there enough north side libs to keep Lori in power? What’s Lori’s base?
Nixit Lori has no base Wilson has the black vote sowen up Vallas is the great white hope so tell me where anyone else gets in a run off
Vallas will flop. So will Lopez. Chuy will get most of the hispanic vote and half or more of the white vote. He’ll get near zero black vote.
Chuy will win in a run-off. This is his second bite at the apple. He’s a sitting US congressman. He’s not running again this time to lose.
The fix is already in. Mark my words.
Sorry no way Jesus gets half or more of the white vote the fix may or may not be in but Jesus won`t be Mayor
Lori won the first round because she got all the white northside vote. She was their preferred candidate. Now they can’t stand her because she’s as obnoxious as Trump except she’s a triple threat.
Chuy is all the same progressive values with the veneer of a sitting US congressman. Just like Rahm. Chuy’s got the polling to back him up I bet and his hispanic network to get out the votes.
I can’t wait to listen Lori Lightfoot’s bullcrap why she should have another four year team. Most likely it will be another runoff election and for the sake of the city, I hope Paul Vallas wins.
How many elections must pass before you get it? You always think, “Maybe things will get better after the next one.” Well let me enlighten you. They won’t.
The best way to look at this election is to see who cannibalizes each others’ votes: Johnson/Buckner/Green – progressive Johnson/King – progressive King/Lightfoot – female Black progressive Vallas/Lopez – crime Vallas/Lightfoot – north side Dems Garcia/Lopez – Hispanic vote Wilson/Sawyer – old school Black vote As it stands, I think Wilson stands to do quite well on the south/west sides. I think Vallas is a lock on SW/NW sides and will pick up the majority of old school lakefront Dems, possibly converting a good number of Lori voters. Lopez doesn’t have the cash and Chuy’s presence probably kills his chances… Read more »
Nixit its really simple here with some many candidate the way you present it is good but simply put Wilson and Vallas in a runoff
Wilson/Vallas would be an absolute nightmare for progressives. If I were a progressive, I’d be pushing hard to get Buckner and King out of the race.
I agree but dont see anyone dropping out to many EGO`S in play simple math shows a Vallas/Wilson runoff
The DSA will win more than the five or six seats they have now.They might win every retiring seat, I think I read there are 12 or so? That puts them at 15-18 seats, plus they’ll probably flip two or three seats, probably that guy in Jefferson park they hate hate hate so much. They’ll control nearly 20 of the 50 seats. And like all the communists before them that ever existed, it’ll be their way, or the highway, when they gain control of the city.
I’m thinking, in a post covid “free stuff” world locally & nationally, but especially in a Chicago, as the fed covid $bucks$ run out and recession/ stagflation drag on for years folks are going to start asking who & what all the covid $bucks$ where spent on? And since all the progressive agenda stuff is all about blaming some mystical trumpie fall guy and rewarding the chosen with “free stuff” equity-hustle grants with ZERO metrics of performance and never about delivering goods and services AT A REASONABLE PRICE (i.e. production) people are going to start to wonder, people are going… Read more »
Wait this is the new norm. D.C. will continue to send endless streams of money to places like Chicago. We’ve discussed how this debt will eventually catch up to us…never happens. How we can’t have this many murders…they increase. We hold politicians accountable…hahaha really? The Dystopian future is here and you are living in it.
You’ve pretty much described why the republicans need the house. It’s so the democrats don’t go on another reckless spending binge. Further, they won’t be getting the ideal number of additional seats they expected, so intra-party disagreements will be harder settle.
There is supposed to be a deepening of the recession in 2023, but they haven’t said just when during the year it will become impossible to ignore.
Yes, Republicans do need the House but they’re not going to get it. They blew it big time in this last election. Democrats will go on another destructive spending binge because they can. I always believed once we elected Joe Biden we would never have another prominent Republican elected again. And that’s exactly the way we’re going. Welcome to Socialism. It’s not coming, it’s here.
R’s are about to win the house. They are one seat from a majority right now with 217 seats called either officially or unofficially.
Joe Biden is not a socialist. He’s an authoritarian fraud. There’s nothing socialist about his policies. He calls them socialist but he’s really just redistributing the treasury to his voters.