The nonpartisan primary for mayor of Chicago takes place on Tuesday, and while everyone agrees that no one will take the majority needed to avert an April 4 general election, it remains to be seen if we’ll know who the top-two vote-getters are on election night. Mail-in ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day may be counted as long as they’re received by March 14, and election officials say they expect “thousands” more to arrive.
We also have one last poll from 1983 Labs, a new firm that says it's not affiliated with anyone running, that underscores just how unpredictable the April lineup is. The results are below, with its numbers from mid-February in parenthesis:
former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas: 24 (13)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot: 18 (15)
Rep. Chuy Garcia: 16 (10)
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson: 14 (7)
Wealthy perennial candidate Willie Wilson: 12 (12)
Alderman Sophia King: 6 (5)
Activist Ja’Mal Green: 5 (7)
State Rep. Kam Buckner: 3 (5)
Alderman Roderick Sawyer: 1 (1)
Most recent polls have also shown Vallas, whom Lightfoot says she wants to face in a runoff, in first, though there’s little consensus on which candidate is leading in the crucial race for second.
The race for mayor isn’t the only big contest on the ballot, though. Bolts Magazine’s Max Blaisdell writes that this will be the first-ever election for the 22 police district councils, which the article describes as “the culmination of decades of activism for increased police accountability, [which] represent Chicago’s boldest attempt to give residents direct input over policing practices.” The 50-member City Council will also be up for the first time since redistricting, and CBS Chicago says that nearly a quarter of the seats are guaranteed to be filled by a newcomer.