A new poll of more than 900 likely Chicago mayoral election voters found that former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas has a slim lead over Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, although the race remains very close.
The poll, conducted by Victory Research, showed Vallas' with 49.6% of the potential vote and Johnson with 45.4%. Vallas' lead widened from two points to 4.2 points, when compared to the previous poll, which was conducted in late March.
Especially notable is the percentage of respondents who said they were undecided. That number shrank in half, dropping from 9.6% to 5%. The most recent poll included responses from more than 900 likely voters in the runoff election, and it has a margin of error of 3.27%.
According to Victory Research, the results showed Vallas increasing his percentage among respondents who self-identified as “moderate” to a nearly 40-point margin - 67.5%-28.4%. Johnson, meanwhile, holds an even bigger lead among self-identified “progressives," where he has 70.8% of the potential vote compared to Vallas' 22.5%.
A visible gender gap has emerged in the race, the poll revealed. Johnson leads slightly among female voters, with 49.3% of the potential vote.
Sunday marked an especially busy day on the campaign trail as both candidates visited churches across the city to drum up last-minute support ahead of Election Day. In a sign of how close the race is, neither candidate has pulled their negative ads, which candidates typically do to close the race with a positive message. This time, attacks are on the air until the end.
Monday will mark the last day of early voting, while the election itself will take place Tuesday.
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