Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson has triumphed over former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas in the city's runoff election, the Associated Press is projecting.
Johnson, who finished second behind Vallas in the Feb. 28 general election, has built that lead with nearly 99% of precincts reporting.
Johnson has racked up 284,108 votes as of 9:28 p.m., with Vallas at 268,115 votes.
"I ran for mayor to bring this city together, and it's clear from this result tonight that this city is deeply divided," Vallas said. "It's critically important that we use this opportunity to come together. I've offered him my full support in this transition. I look forward to working with him and providing him with the support he needs to be successful."
Vallas thanked supporters for their work for his campaign, saying that he called Johnson and told him that he "fully expects" him to be the next mayor of the city.
"I want to thank each and every one of you who have cast their vote and supported me our journey over the last 10 months would not have been possible without you, day in and day out, I've been energized by your enthusiasm to help us reach our ultimate goal of bringing our city back together and getting our city on track," he said.
Johnson started his campaign in late October after he was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, and he racked up the support of other labor unions along the way, along with the backing of former mayoral rival Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García.
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After outlasting incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot and García in the opening round of voting in February, Johnson took every opportunity to criticize Vallas for his connections to the Fraternal Order of Police after that group endorsed the frontrunner.
Vallas also came under fire for remarks he made about his standing within the Democratic party, as well as criticisms he levied against former President Barack Obama, among others.
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Johnson got his start as an elected official after narrowly defeating former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin in the Democratic primary in 2018, before later running unopposed in the general election that fall.
After being sworn in that December, Johnson established his first battle against the current mayor less than a year later during the 2019 Chicago Public Schools strike, when he organized alongside CTU and penned a letter in the Chicago Tribune, invoking his own background as a public school teacher.
Johnson's name was first floated as a potential mayoral candidate during the 2019 strike, though he would call the rumors "laughable" in a Politico article chronicling the strike's aftermath.
According to Johnson's website, he began his career as a public school teacher at Jenner Academy in Cabrini-Green before later teaching at Westinghouse College Prep on the West Side.
Johnson is an Austin resident, and lives with his wife and three children.
