Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has decided to lean into pro-police messaging to increase her support among black voters, Politico reported Tuesday.
In the closing days of the 2022 Chicago Mayoral election, Lightfoot attacked her opponent Brandon Johnson, raising alarms that he would cut police services in black neighborhoods. Johnson is widely considered to be to the left of Lightfoot on issues such as crime and has been endorsed by progressive organizations that have supported the ‘Defund The Police’ movement.
“He wants to cut your police,” Lightfoot said, according to Politico.
She added that he would eliminate police officers on, “your streets making sure that you’re safe.”
Johnson, the former Cook County Commissioner and member of the Chicago Teachers Union, has gained ground in recent polls. Some speculate that the presence of multiple black candidates, such as Brandon Johnson, have split black voters and effectively make it harder for Lightfoot to win reelection.(RELATED: Local Chicago Media Says Lori Lightfoot Is Engaging In ‘Censorship In Its Purest Form’)
However, according to Politico, Lightfoot sees a potential vulnerability for Brandon Johnson: his progressive stances on police.
In a December 2020 interview, Johnson criticized Lightfoot for calling ‘Defund the Police’ a “sloppy slogan.”
A recent poll found that nearly two-thirds of Chicago residents say they feel unsafe from gun violence and crime. That’s why it’s the top issue for many voters in the mayoral election. @johnyangtv reports.
https://t.co/W2tyzxP5Hk— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) February 28, 2023
“I don’t look at it as a slogan,” Johnson countered. “It’s an actual real political goal.”
In a recent debate, Johnson dinged Lightfoot for not passing progressive policing legislation and promised that as mayor he would address police brutality.
“We’re gonna ensure that the type of brutality and the errors of this police department — that we put an end to that.” Johsnon said.
In the closing weeks of the mayoral campaign, Lightfoot has run television ads calling Johnson “too extreme” while also claiming his economic policies would “raise taxes” and “drive jobs away.”
Crime and policing have become the most prominent issues at the forefront of the Chicago mayoral election, according to Politico. Politico claims that internal campaign polling and polling from third-party groups see the issue as by far the biggest driver of turnout for voters.