Politics
Brandon Johnson Uses DNC to Play a Favorite Role: Chicago’s Biggest Fan
The whole world was watching when Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomed the Democratic National Convention to Chicago — the “greatest city in the world.”
Maybe that’s why Johnson dropped his favorite exclamation — “freaking,” wanting to make sure Chicago made a good impression. Company is in town, of course. At least, he held his tongue for a while.
“Chicago — where Ida B. Wells and Jane Addams organized to deliver real, transformative change across the country,” Johnson said. “Chicago — where Rev. Jesse Jackson united people of all different backgrounds to keep hope alive — and a community organizer on the South Side — Barack Obama — rose to the White House by reminding us, yes, we can.”
Johnson delivered a full-throated endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“As the son of a family that worked to make ends meet, I know that Kamala Harris — the daughter of a hard-working mom who did the same — will always have our backs,” Johnson said. “As a fellow former social studies teacher, I know that Tim Walz will never shrink from standing up for our democracy, and for those most in need.”
But a Harris victory will mean more to Johnson than just the success of a political ally.
“And as a Black man raising a Black girl on the West Side of Chicago, I know that my daughter will see not only a reflection of herself in the White House, but our deepest American values,” Johnson said.
But as Johnson built to a crescendo, he couldn’t resist.
“Chicago is the greatest freaking city in the world,” Johnson proclaimed, triggering loud cheers.
Johnson’s brief speech capped a whirlwind day at the center of the political universe.
Johnson began his day at Dyett High School, where almost a decade ago he joined a hunger strike to stop former Mayor Rahm Emanuel from closing the South Side school, which educated decades of Black Chicagoans.
Then Johnson joined Supt. Larry Snelling to proclaim once again that Chicago was ready for the scrutiny that comes with the convention.
And once the news conference was over, Johnson headed to a luncheon hosted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where they endorsed Harris’ plan to build 3 million new homes to help alleviate a shortage of affordable homes.
Then Johnson jetted off to the People Powered Policy Roundtable, where he touted the measure that he championed and pushed through the City Council to require most Chicago employers to give their workers 10 days off.
Johnson will wear the jacket if the convention does not go as planned or protests spiral out of control, either because of violence from protesters or misconduct from Chicago police officers.
A successful convention that spotlights the best of Chicago on a national stage would likely add to Johnson’s reserves of political capital, which he would be able to draw on in the battles to come.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
