Block Club’s The Ballot: Live with Laura Washington

Paul Vallas

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A former CPS CEO, Paul Vallas has spent most of his career working in education, although he has centered public safety and crime reduction in his current mayoral campaign. 

Jesús “Chuy” García

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U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, who represents Illinois’ 4th district in Washington, D.C., is a longtime political veteran who ran for mayor in 2015 and has emphasized his progressive bonafides since entering the 2023 race in November.

Lori Lightfoot

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A former prosecutor and private practice attorney, incumbent Lori Lightfoot ran an outsider’s campaign in 2019 focused on rooting out corruption in City Hall. Her 2023 campaign has centered around “finishing what she started,” as she has repeated in public statements. 

Brandon Johnson

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County Commissioner Brandon Johnson is a Chicago Teachers Union organizer and middle school teacher who has pushed for more investment into health care, restorative justice and job creation.

Sophia King

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Ald. Sophia King (4th) has represented Kenwood, Oakland and parts of Bronzeville since 2016, and she was a leading proponent of the Empower Communities for Public Safety community police oversight ordinance.

Roderick Sawyer

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Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) — who has represented parts of Chatham, Englewood and West Englewood since 2011 — helped found the City Council Progressive Reform Caucus.

Kam Buckner

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State Rep. Kam Buckner, whose district stretches from the Gold Coast to the Southeast Side, is a native South Sider who grew up in Washington Heights and Roseland.

Ja’Mal Green

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The youngest candidate in the field, Ja’Mal Green is a fixture as an activist who has led protests against police in the McDonald case and other issues of police misconduct.

Laura S. Washington is a Chicago Tribune contributing columnist and political analyst for ABC7. She brings more than two decades of experience as a multimedia journalist and nonprofit professional specializing in African-American affairs, local and national politics, race and social justice.

Washington’s journalism and commentary has been widely featured in the national media, including The Associated Press, The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, CNN, MNSBC, the PBS News Hour and the BBC. Laura also serves as a member of Block Club Chicago’s Board of Directors. Read more here.