14 Aldermanic Runoff Elections Scheduled for April 4 as First Round Final Results Certified – NBC Chicago

It will be a second-round race for West Side Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) – and a sigh of relief for Logan Square Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st).

The official final results, including all eligible ballots counted by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners on Wednesday, put Taliaferro within 25 votes of the majority he needed to win a third term on city council after the Feb. 28 election. .

That puts Taliaferro among six incumbent aldermen forced into runoff contests on April 4, in addition to races for eight other open Council seats and the mayoral showdown between Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas.

In neighborhood races, La Spata found themselves barely on the safe side of the 50% bubble, securing a second term with just 14 votes above the majority required to spare them a runoff. The far-left Council freshman ended up with 50.1% of the 1st Ward vote, compared to 23.4% for his closest challenger, lawyer Sam Royko, son of the legendary columnist of ChicagoMike Royko.

“It’s exhilarating and it’s a relief,” La Spata said. “I was proud of where we were on Election Day, but then thousands of mail-in ballots came overwhelmingly in my favor – I’m really proud of the affirmation the community has given me.”

Sam Royko praised La Spata for a “hard run”, saying it was “a reminder that every vote counts”.

This is certainly the case in the 29th arrondissement, where Taliaferro, an ally of outgoing mayor Lori Lightfoot, was re-elected in 2019.

Now he faces another political round, taking on community organizer CB Johnson. Since Feb. 28, Taliaferro, the chairman of the council’s public safety committee, had narrowly avoided a runoff until election officials returned 112 ballots for registered candidates over the weekend.

These ballots widened the vote pool enough to drop Taliaferro below 50%; it ended up at just under 49.8%, compared to Johnson’s 39.8%.

Elections committee spokesman Max Bever said his agency was unable to find another example in the city’s colorful election history of write-in ballots being a deciding factor in forcing an incumbent in a second round.

A spokesperson for Johnson’s campaign, backed by U.S. Representative Danny Davis, called him “a prime example of democracy in action.”

“More than 50% of 29th Ward voters have informed the city that they are unhappy with the current alderman,” spokeswoman Tumia Romero said. “We plan to convince others that CB Johnson is the best candidate who will meet their needs, be active in the community and be a full-time alderman.”

It’s Taliaferro’s second disappointment at the polls since last summer, when he failed the Democratic primary for a seat as a Cook County Circuit Court judge.

“I’m encouraged and confident that we’re going to win in the second round,” said Taliaferro, a former Chicago police sergeant. “Public safety is the number one priority for voters, and I have the experience to lead.”

A handful of other incumbent Council members have been preparing for a runoff since February’s election, including Ald. Gilbert Villegas, who takes on teacher Lori Torres Whitt, and Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th), who faces lawyer Megan Mathias.

Three Council members named by Lightfoot to fill vacancies over the past year will also have to defend their seats: Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) against Chicago police officer Anthony Ciaravino; Aldus. Monique Scott (24th) vs. business owner Creative Scott; and Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) against Sheffield Neighborhood Association chairman Brian Comer.

Runoffs are also in sight for eight neighborhoods without holders.

On the south side, State Rep. Lamont Robinson faces Prentice Butler in the 4th Ward; Desmon Yancy takes on Tina Hone in the 5th; William Hall is in contention against Richard Wooten in 6th; Chicago Police Officer Peter Chico competes with Ana Guajardo in the 10th; and Ronnie Mosley comes in against Cornell Dantzler in the 21st.

In the 30th arrondissement on the northwest side, Jessica Gutiérrez and Ruth Cruz are running. And on the north side, Angela Clay and Kim Walz face off at 46th, and Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth and Joe Dunne face off at 48th.

As for the final mayoral election results, Vallas led with 32.9% of the vote, compared to 21.6% for Johnson, 16.8% for Lightfoot and around 13.7% for U.S. Rep. Jesus. “Chuy” Garcia.

The citywide turnout in February was 35.9%, a slight increase from 35.5% in 2019.

Early voting for the second round begins Monday.