Chicago chooses Brandon Johnson for mayor – and a new approach on crime

Former union organiser Brandon Johnson has been elected as Chicago’s next mayor in a victory widely seen as a boost for progressive Democrats.

Mr Johnson, 47, won the hotly contested race over former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, a fellow Democrat.

The election comes as Chicago struggles with crime, a central theme of both candidates’ electoral campaigns.

Mr Johnson has vowed to invest more on mental health treatment, rather than on additional police and jails.

When he takes office next month, Mr Johnson will succeed incumbent Lori Lightfoot, the first black woman and openly gay person to serve as Chicago’s mayor.

Mr Johnson was backed during the non-partisan election by prominent progressives including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who appeared at a rally in the closing days of the campaign.

Speaking to supporters on Tuesday night, Mr Johnson vowed to usher in a “new chapter” in Chicago in which residents from all walks of life would be cared for by city officials.

“Tonight is the beginning of a Chicago that truly invests in all its people,” he added.

In his speech, Mr Johnson – who is African-American – said his campaign had been influenced by civil rights leader Martin Luther King, who was assassinated exactly 55 years ago on 4 April, 1968.

“Today the dream is alive,” he said. “So today we celebrate the revival and the resurrection of the city of Chicago”.

During the contentious campaign, Mr Johnson and Mr Vallas regularly sparred over ways to address rising crime.

The murder rate in Chicago has risen 20% since 2018, while car thefts have risen by 114% in the same period. Other forms of crimes have risen over the five-year period, too.

While Mr Vallas promised to hire hundreds of additional officers to fight crime – and was endorsed by the police union – Mr Johnson vowed to invest city funds in intervention methods focused on de-escalating conflict, as well as addressing root causes of crime such as schools, jobs and mental health.

Current Mayor Lori Lightfoot – who came in third in the February race – had increasingly come under fire over her handling of Chicago’s crime from her political opponents.

In a statement on Tuesday, Ms Lightfoot said that Mr Johnson’s election was an opportunity for Chicago residents “to come together and recommit ourselves to uniting around our shared present and future” regardless of “ZIP code or neighbourhood, our race or ethnicity, the creator we worship, or who we love.”