Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson addresses the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday, April 19.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, who got his start as an aide to Senate President Don Harmon, traveled to Springfield to declare his election marks a “new day” in Illinois politics – and to serve notice that he would govern boldly as a progressive and supporter of organized labor.

A voter casts a ballot during the April 4, 2023, Chicago municipal runoff election. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

According to Chicago Board of Elections data, there was a 32% increase from Feb. 28 to April 4 of votes cast by voters ages 18 to 24. Voters ages 25 to 34 increased their votership by 24%.

Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson addresses the media after meeting with Gov. J.B. Pritzker on April 7, 2023. (WTTW News)

“Those who want to see our city divided, today this is a very clear day, an indication that those are the politics of old,” Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson said Friday.

(WTTW News)

There’s an effort to implement ranked choice voting in Illinois as early as the 2024 presidential primary. Proponents say ranked choice voting helps ensure representative outcomes; opponents say it’s confusing to voters.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson takes questions from the news media after meeting with Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday, April 6. (Heather Cherone/WTTW News)

The mayor-elect has just 41 days to set up his administration and prepare to tackle the myriad problems facing Chicago.

Brandon Johnson addresses the media the morning after his election win on April 5, 2023. (WTTW News)
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Chicago voters rejected efforts by moderate Democrats and Republicans to turn Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s support for criminal justice reform into a fatal liability.

Members of the Chicago City Council meet on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. (WTTW News)

Nearly a quarter of the city will get new political leadership in 2023, a result of an unprecedented exodus of veteran alderpeople that led to a generational shift in Chicago politics, with six Black, Latina and Asian American women replacing veteran City Council members, all of them men.

What if there were a different way? What if you could rank your choices in order of your preference? Well, there is a system like that and it’s already being used in some jurisdictions. It’s called ranked choice voting. It has its backers as well as detractors.

Brandon Johnson celebrates after winning the Chicago mayoral election on April 4, 2023. (WTTW News)

In his victory speech, Brandon Johnson emphasized the importance of coalition in his campain and pointed toward the need to continue building coalitions across the city moving forward. He appealed to those who did not vote for him and promised to work together. 

A student at the University of Illinois-Chicago casts their ballot for the April 4 Chicago runoff election at the UIC Student Center polling location. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Nearly a quarter of the city will get new political leadership in 2023, a result of an unprecedented exodus of veteran alderpeople that will herald — along with the election of a new mayor — the start of a new era at City Hall.

A resident in the 40th Ward gathers their documentation as they prepare to vote in the April 4 Chicago runoff election at the Budlong Woods Library polling location. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Voter turnout sat at 33.2% when polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, with 530,382 ballots cast, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. That's compared to 32.1% turnout for the Feb. 28 election.

(WTTW News)

Chicago will elect a new mayor and voters in 14 wards will also elect a new alderperson to the Chicago City Council. 

Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas at campaign events. (WTTW News)

Latino voters could be the crucial swing vote that decides who will be Chicago’s next mayor, but according to a recent poll, many Latinos said they haven’t heard from either of the candidates ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election.

(WTTW News)

According to the Chicago Board of Elections, only 3% of voters ages 18 to 24 voted in the Feb. 28 Chicago municipal election.

Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson are traveling across the city in the final days of the campaign. (WTTW News)

Both Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas will spend the final days of what is expected to be the closest election in Chicago history scrambling for any possible advantage – and trying to make sure their supporters cast a ballot.

(WTTW News)
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A group of teachers has filed legal action against the CTU, alleging union leaders are wrongly spending dues money on political organizations supporting Brandon Johnson for mayor. They said it’s not about politics, but about their contention that their own union has deceived them.