Chicago's upcoming mayoral election has national significance

It will be a test of whether deeply blue voters anywhere will finally will see the light and cast out the woke.

Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas

If Chicago voters do, it could signal a serious setback for the extreme left and corrupt politicians who have inflicted so much havoc on the nation’s cities, states and the nation itself.

That’s because Chicago voters now have a historically clear choice of mayoral candidates: one that’s woke to the core and an honest, competent, middle-of-the road reformer. They are:

Brandon Johnson, a “progressive” Democratic pawn of the Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU), which already virtually runs the city. Or,

Paul Vallas, a moderate Democrat and proven administrator who's the best chance to straighten out Chicago’s notorious crime crisis and other deadly afflictions.

Johnson is a former teacher (for four years) and a Chicago Teachers’ Union organizer. He has no experience at all for running any kind of multi-billion-dollar city or organization. Especially not one with so many critical problems.

But with the backing of CTU’s cash and organization—thank you very much—the unknown and obscure Johnson zoomed into second place among the nine candidates running in the mayoral primary election last month. Vallas came in first.

There’s no doubt that Johnson will be the union’s chosen one to continue the CTU’s vise grip on the city. The union’s power has blossomed thanks to the 10 strikes it has conducted since 1969. Never mind that in their greed they shafted more than 300,000 public school students—many who are minority and impoverished. Along the way it has extorted massive wage, pension, benefit and other largesse, all the while claiming that they “were doing it for the children.” Thanks to a recent law passed by the super-majority Democratic Illinois Legislature and signed by Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker, they can negotiate (i.e. strike) for anything, such as length of the school day or year. In other words, they’d run the place by electing Johnson and, in effect, negotiate the next contract with themselves.

Johnson emerged at the CTU’s catspaw because Vallas. as someone who has demonstrated that he won’t take any guff from the unions or anyone else, he is anathema to the CTU. He earned that reputation as the one-time CEO of the city’s public school system. In the face of the union’s opposition, he raised test scores and rationalize a bloated system. He further built his reputation as a crisis manager and backer of charter schools as the head of troubled school districts in Philadelphia and Bridgeport, Conn. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, he was brought in to rebuild the school system.

He also serviced as the budget guy for the Illinois Legislature and for former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Throughout, he was known as a competent and honest straight shooter.

Johnson, who is black, has predictably shown the race card. He accused Vallas of being “dismissive of a Black man.” The reason? Vallas had criticized Johnson’s lack of administration experience. Johnson twisted that explanation by saying, “The fact that he's being dismissive of a Black man who taught for four years in Chicago Public Schools is, is, you've got to stop doing that, Paul.”

The choices are extraordinarily stark, perhaps unlike any in the history of Chicago or Illinois elections. But they also might point to a sea change in governance, at least one can hope.

Too many cities and states are run by ideologues or insiders who madly oppose any reform. They are elected and re-elected sheepishly by voters who are afraid of leaving their comfort zone. Or who are captives of their far-left ideology. Or who benefit personally from the continued status quo.

We’ll know after the election on April 4 whether there’s any hope left for Chicago and, by extension, for America.