Chicago City Wire

With Election Day fast approaching, Chicago’s Morning Answer co-host Dan Proft speculated on the possible outcome of the race for mayor, calling the race too close to call.

“This is a toss-up at this point, then even though you look at head to head right now and Vallas is up a couple of points, that dynamic is going to completely change because the last 30 days will be a completely different campaign," Proft said.

Proft also posted polling numbers Friday on Twitter.  "Chicago mayoral race poll from Get Stuff Done PAC, the brainchild of Rahm-amaniacs Ruemmler & Sacks," he wrote. "Vallas 31%, Johnson 17%, Lightfoot 16%, Chuy 12% , Willie 11%, Lightfoot fav-unfav: 29-68."

Chicago's crime rate, one of the key issues among the candidates, has grown since the city began its "Community Policing" policy, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the majority of her challengers want to keep that policy in place, according to a Chicago City Wire report. Community policing is a well-known but unclear concept that suggests that ordinary citizens can arbitrate gang disputes and psychologists can treat the trauma of growing up in a violent city, the story said.

Paul Vallas is the only candidate to suggest that he would add approximately 2,000 more police and require police presence, rather than private security, for Chicago Transit Authority, another Chicago City Wire report said. Candidate Brandon Johnson said that he would reduce crime by addressing its underlying causes and that he would try to get illegal guns off the streets. 

Jesus “Chuy” Garcia said he intends to replace Police Superintendent David Brown and also to address the root causes of crime. Ja’Mal Green indicated a goal to improve public safety by improving the lives of those who suffer financially and socially. Kam Buckner said he wants to invest in public safety by investing in neighborhoods and adding community policing.

Additionally, Sophia King said she would "hold police more accountable" and increase police response, and Alderman Roderick Sawyer said he plans to elect three council members for each of the 22 police districts, according to the report.

Former Alderman Ricardo Munoz, one of Garcia's key political allies, was freed from federal prison last week after receiving a 13-month sentence in March 2022 for stealing $38,000 from a political campaign fund, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Munoz was Garcia's most ardent political supporter in 2015, Chicago City Wire reported.

Despite the crowded field, Proft is willing to guess the results, although not optimistically.

“If Brandon Johnson runs it right, say he’s the one. And remember my axiom about Illinois and Chicago politics, whatever the worst possible outcome is, whatever the potentially worst possible outcome is, that’s what’s going to happen," Proft said. "And the worst possible outcome, which maybe we should be rooting for ... would be Brandon Johnson as mayor. So that’s probably that. That may very well be what happens. Brandon Johnson for mayor.”