John — last night, Brandon Johnson overcame a deluge of far-right money and misinformation to be elected the next Mayor of Chicago!
Back in December, Brandon was polling at around 3%.
Now, this boldly progressive former union organizer and teacher is about to be sworn in as the next mayor of the third-largest city in the country.
This is a massive upset. It is a rebuke of the right-wing narrative that voters in big cities are supposedly so afraid of each other that they are lurching to the right and seeking safety in discredited “tough on crime” policies of the 80’s and 90’s.
But more than anything, it is a testament to the amazing things that working people can accomplish when we come together across our differences behind a positive vision for safe and thriving communities.
All of us at the Working Families Party have never been more proud to stand with Brandon, or with our local partners at United Working Families in Illinois. They have been organizing for years and years to make this moment possible.
Now comes the hard part.
We need to keep building a Chicago for the many, with strong schools, good jobs, and safe communities. And we need to double down on the organizing that will let us replicate wins like this across the country, in every kind of community.
If you’re as inspired by last night as I am, please make a split contribution today to United Working Families and WFP. We’re building the kind of ambitious year-round progressive infrastructure that makes victories like this possible — even when all the pundits say it’s impossible — and I know we’ve only just scratched the surface of what we can accomplish together.
Contribute $10 »
Of course, Brandon’s victory wasn’t the only big one for working people last night:
-
In Wisconsin, WI WFP-endorsed Judge Janet Protasiewicz handily defeated her right-wing extremist opponent to win a critical seat on the state Supreme Court. She will now be the deciding vote on the court, which could play a pivotal role in protecting abortion rights and the 2024 presidential election,
-
Elsewhere in Chicago, UWF champions Angela Clay, Desmon Yancy, and Will Hall are projected to win their races for City Council, which combined with wins in February for Jessie Fuentes and Julia Ramirez, mean that the UWF-aligned bloc will be larger than ever before,
-
And while ballots are still being counted in Denver’s municipal elections, Colorado WFP-endorsed candidates including Shontel Lewis appear in good shape to make it to a June runoff.
These kinds of nights don’t happen by accident.
They are the result of months of focused voter turnout efforts and years of day-in, day-out organizing in communities to expand people’s notions of what is possible in our politics. And all of it is only possible because of grassroots supporters like you, John.
That’s the work we are committed to at the Working Families Party. And I don’t know about you, but nights like last night only make me want to redouble that commitment.
If you’re feeling the same way, split a contribution to United Working Families and WFP today so we can keep building a Chicago for the many — and replicate victories like these in elections this year across the country.
In solidarity, always,
Maurice Mitchell
National Director
Working Families Party
P.S. Check out my Twitter and Instagram for some photos and video from last weekend when I proudly joined WFP organizers in Chicago to GOTV for Brandon:
