![]() Vallas explained he is Greek Orthodox, a religion that opposes abortion, but that he personally does not - a stance similar to top Democrats who are Catholic. During a recent debate he said it’s “nonsense” that he opposes reproductive rights. On a conservative talk show in 2009, Vallas said he is opposed to abortion, a comment his campaign says was taken out of context. where abortion is legal, which has made the state, and Chicago, a destination for people seeking the procedure. Illinois is one of the few places in the central U.S. Vallas’ support for abortion rights also has been called into question. Ron DeSantis, considered a top GOP candidate for president in 2024, though Vallas issued a statement rebuking the Republican. Johnson has attacked Vallas as a Republican in disguise, noting that Vallas has made comments about being more of a Republican than a Democrat and accepted the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police. Vallas has run for office unsuccessfully several times, including for governor in 2002 and Chicago mayor in 2019, when he finished toward the bottom of the pack. Two of Vallas’ sons were police officers, though one left the force to become a firefighter, he says. He stresses that he comes from a family of public servants, including veterans, teachers and police officers. The grandson of Greek immigrants, Vallas worked in his family restaurant growing up and later was a state legislator and Chicago budget director. He was the only non-Black or Hispanic candidate in the first round, when he was the top vote-getter with 33% to Johnson’s 22%. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who had strong support from Latino voters as he finished fourth in February, cited Johnson’s ability to unite people of color as the congressman announced his former rival last week. He speaks of Chicago as a “tale of two cities,” where some people - largely in minority neighborhoods that have seen decades of disinvestment - fight to get by, while others have great wealth and live in areas where with grocery stores, libraries and parks. Now a married father of three, Johnson lives in one of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods and says he has to drive his children to another part of the city to attend a school that offers orchestra. An older brother died homeless and addicted. The son of a minister, he grew up one of 10 kids in a family he says struggled to pay bills, sometimes having to run a power cord into their home from a neighbor’s house to have electricity. senators - are opting not to endorse either candidate, possibly seeing political risk in picking a side.įor voters in Chicago, the two candidates offer clear distinctions on issues from education to crime and taxes, as well as very different biographies that have shaped their political lives. So far, some of the party’s leaders - from President Joe Biden to Illinois Gov. The April contest reflects a broader tension for Democrats nationwide, pitting the candidates and the people and groups supporting them against each other in an increasingly bitter five-week campaign that already has cost millions of dollars. She was the first incumbent to lose reelection in roughly 40 years. Among his supporters are prominent members of the business community.īoth men defeated Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who tried positioning herself between the two as a middle-of-the-road Democrat. Vallas, who finished first out of nine candidates in the February vote, is a more moderate Democrat who was endorsed by the Chicago police union and has focused strongly on reducing crime. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Johnson is a progressive county commissioner who last month advanced to an April 4 runoff thanks to heavy support from the teachers union and who is now endorsed by progressive U.S. It is just one example, but a significant one, of the contrasts between the two men now vying to lead the heavily Democratic city. Johnson taught middle and high schoolers before becoming an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, mobilizing thousands during a historic 2012 strike and in actions since that focused on strengthening public schools and the communities around them. school districts, supporting charter schools and voucher programs. Vallas came to be known as a turnaround expert in Chicago and in other U.S. Daley after Illinois lawmakers in the 1990s gave control of the troubled district to City Hall. Vallas was CEO of Chicago Public Schools, appointed by then-Mayor Richard M. CHICAGO (AP) - Before they were rivals to be Chicago’s next mayor, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson both worked in education, though their career paths - like their views on the city’s future - were very different.
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