Chicago has been under the control of Democrats since 1931. Its last mayor, Lori Lightfoot, made her name during the pandemic as one of the most gung-ho on lockdowns and vaccines, but in her city she is more well known for not supporting the cops and overseeing a disastrous crime spike due to her progressive-minded policies. So disastrous that many companies and even the Chicago Bears football team are moving the heck out of Chi-town.

Lightfoot resoundingly lost her mayoral crown in March, only garnering 16% of the vote. Democrats Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson were promoted to a runoff race that transpired yesterday.

Despite there being only one party represented, Chicago had an interesting choice of candidates in Vallas and Johnson.

Vallas, a native of Chicago, was a former CEO of Chicago Public Schools. This was his second attempt at running for mayor, and this time he had the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police. He’s a big advocate of school choice, which put him in the crosshairs of the teachers unions. His platform focused on restoring public safety in the Windy City. Vallas is also a white man.

Johnson was a public school teacher on the Northside of Chicago. He’s in the pockets of the teachers unions and has the endorsement of SEIU Healthcare. His platform focused on equity, reform in policing, education, environmental justice, and gender equality. He is a black man.

The races of these individuals should be immaterial, but in the Democrat Party, identity politics is king. According to the Wall Street Journal’s Jason L. Riley, “In Chicago, where white (33%), black (29%) and Hispanic (29%) representation in the population is remarkably balanced, politics are about as tribal as they come.”

This demographic spread could have played in Vallas’s favor. However, Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor seemed to believe (rightly so, as it turns out) the opposite to be true. She spoke to NBC News at a community event, saying: “My heart has finally dropped back to where it belongs since Chuy [Rep. Jesús Garcia, D-Ill.] has endorsed Brandon. So our Black and brown coalition is back together again.”

The racial aspect of Chicago politics is not as important as what each candidate represents. Johnson’s platform and promises are very similar to if not more radical than former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s. His progressive leftism is a guarantee of more of the same. Vallas represents a different path, focusing on getting the city out of the trenches of daily crime.

What did the the people of Chi-town decide?

In a close election, Brandon Johnson won with 51.4% of the vote. Chicago voters just chose to have more of the same. As one Chicago reporter put it, “Chicago chose progress over moderation.” No, it chose social justice and equity quotas over public safety. This is not surprising but still disappointing.

Is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result not the very definition of insanity? Well, Chicago, here you go again.

Image credit: TDKR Chicago 101 (here and here), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Altered to add red X and green checkmark.