Natalia Chi
The number of candidates for mayor has been reduced from nine to two. Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Ballas. One will be Chicago’s next mayor, but both get a lot of help from TV ads, campaigns and event sponsors. The winner will be determined on April 4th.
Just days after the February 28 election, Johnson and Vallas were declared the top two vote-getters, lifting restrictions on campaign contributions. At that time, Valas lent his $100,100 to the mayor’s campaign fund. This is meant to lift limits on the amount of money he and opponent Johnson can receive from donors.
Since then, millions of dollars have been poured into racing.
Contributors have donated $9.2 million to match both campaigns since the mayoral runoff began this month. Election Day is about two weeks away, but donations will definitely continue to flow.
Since the run-off began, Vallas has been the big winner in total money. His Vallas mayoral campaign fund he received nearly $5.7 million in contributions, bringing the 69-year-old’s total fundraising to $12.1 million since the campaign began in June 2022.
Vallas has managed to raise millions of dollars with the help of notable contributors such as The Duchossois Group executive Craig Duchossois, who donated $500,000 to Vallas earlier this month. He also joined former Chicago investment firm Citadel Chief Operating Officer Gerald Beeson, who has donated $300,000 since November, and Bandon Dunes Golf, which has donated $900,000 since Valas launched the campaign. We also got some help from the owner of the resort, Michael Kaiser.
But Valas isn’t the only one making big bucks. In the weeks since the February election, Johnson’s donors have donated more than $3.5 million to Brandon’s Friends of Johnson campaign. In total, the 46-year-old Cook County Commissioner has raised his $7.6 million from supporters.
Unlike Valas, the progressive candidate receives financial support from labor groups such as the Federation of American Teachers, the International Union of Service Employees, and the Chicago Teachers Union, which donated $1.2 million to Johnson’s campaign last week. Did.
The battle for City Hall has begun. Paul Ballas will face Brandon Johnson to become the next mayor of Chicago. Click here for details >>>
The mayoral runoff election will take place on April 4, 2023.
[ Chicago’s runoff election: A voter’s guide for mayor and City Council elections on April 4 ]
