{"id":9776,"date":"2023-03-24T00:52:41","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T04:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tempestmag.org\/v01_2020\/staging\/?p=9776"},"modified":"2023-04-06T00:15:54","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T04:15:54","slug":"on-the-chicago-race-for-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tempestmag.org\/test02\/2023\/03\/on-the-chicago-race-for-mayor\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Chicago race for mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>he Chicago mayoral election, set for its run-off on April 4, reflects a sharpening polarization of politics in Chicago (and nationally) and is absorbing the attention and energy of the vast majority of the city\u2019s Left and social movement activists. On the one hand, Paul Vallas is a long-standing member of the boss class and is more than happy to blow the dog-whistle of racism and reaction in his appeals to law and order. On the other hand, Brandon Johnson wears proudly both his history as a Chicago teacher, union and social activist, AND his allegiance to the Democratic Party, albeit one he pitches with a \u201cprogressive\u201d spin.<\/em><\/p>\n

For revolutionary socialists\u2014without illusions in either the depth of the threat posed by the virulent far right, or about the pro-capitalist nature of the Democratic Party, \u201dprogressive\u201d or otherwise\u2014the strategic and tactical questions raised in this reality are challenging. First, the dynamism of the preceding period of radicalization and hope\u2014most strongly embodied by the anti-racist rebellion of 2020\u2014has receded. Second, the dynamic in Chicago is, at least arguably, unique, resting on the particular legacy of class struggle and social justice unionism led by the Chicago Teachers Union and its intimate links to the liberatory thread of radical Black politics.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tempest is presenting what we hope to be a series of articles on the Johnson-Vallas race with different emphases and conclusions. Each is written by comrades committed to the politics of solidarity and with a political horizon shared within Tempest, in which we agree that the working class and oppressed must have a party (or parties) of their own and that there must be a definitive rupture with capitalist business as usual. Regardless of the outcome on April 4, we will continue with the assessments and continue organizing for struggle.<\/em><\/p>\n

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At an invitation from the parents of one of my students, I recently joined a Brandon Johnson for Mayor volunteer Zoom meet-up. The call was organized by United Working Families<\/a>, a Chicago electoral organization supported by my union, the Chicago Teachers Union<\/a>. I was tired and almost skipped it. I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Over 40 volunteers, almost all Black and Brown women from working-class neighborhoods across Chicago were on the call. They talked about their fear of crime\u2014many living in the highest-poverty neighborhoods of the city\u2014and their fear of the police who target Black and Brown kids for harassment and abuse. They talked about how their neighborhood schools were under-funded and couldn\u2019t provide support to their children. They discussed how their paychecks are being eaten up by the rising cost of housing, food, and gas. They shared their fears that Paul Vallas, running for Chicago mayor against Brandon Johnson, would double down on more cops, the defunding of schools and other public services, and increase economic and social injustice. They also talked about their dreams for a Chicago where everyone could find affordable housing, health care, and funded public schools. Ninety percent of those on the call had never volunteered for a political campaign before.<\/p>\n

Spaces like these are popping up all over Chicago\u2014both virtually and in person. I\u2019ve attended several union meetings, house parties, meetings of Independent Political Organization (IPO) within various local wards, rallies, and phone bankings over the past few months.\u00a0 In all these spaces I\u2019ve encountered new and veteran activists who see the mayor\u2019s race as a battle between left and right and who believe the outcome will shape the future of working class Chicago and the Chicago Left for a long time to come.<\/p>\n

In some respects, this is a Chicago mayor\u2019s race that feels familiar: Democratic Party office holders lining up to announce endorsements, record-breaking fundraising to pay for endless campaign commercials, door-knocking and phone banks. But at its heart, this is a Chicago mayor\u2019s race we haven\u2019t seen before: The militant Chicago Teachers Union has built a political arm\u2014the United Working Families (UWF)\u2014that has mobilized thousands of volunteers behind their candidate, Brandon Johnson. Many of those volunteers are activists from various social movements across the city, including the 2020 Movement for Black Lives. Add into that mix the growth of neighborhood-based IPOs, responsible for the election of at least six socialist alderpersons, and a distinctly different sort of campaign is visible\u2014one that I believe socialists cannot afford to abstain from.<\/p>\n