Ald. Chris Taliaferro and challenger CB Johnson were neck in neck Tuesday night, with the incumbent barely leading 50.35%, to Johnson’s 49.65%.
Less than 100 votes separated the two candidates, with 21 of 24 precincts reporting. More than 1,000 mail-in ballots remained to be counted, according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Election officials have several more days before finalizing election results.
Taliaferro, who was seeking a third term after losing a bid to become a local judge, could not be reached for comment Tuesday night and did not hold a campaign party.
In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s runoff election, Taliaferro received endorsements from former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson – who appeared to have beaten former CPS CEO Paul Vallas – and community activist Corey Dooley, who received about 9% of the vote in the February election for the 29th Ward, according to Block Club Chicago.
Before polls closed Tuesday night, Johnson stopped by the 7th precinct in Galewood, where he won only a quarter of the votes in February, the Chicago Sun-Times noted. He greeted voters, took a selfie with a voter and helped at least one person find the correct polling place.
“Sleep, I haven’t had much of, but I’m feeling good,” said Johnson, who has worked on substance abuse issues with the nonprofit Campaign for a Drug-Free West Side and had the backing of longtime West Side Congressman Danny K. Davis.
Johnson has not logged any campaign contributions with the Illinois State Board of Elections, according to the Chicago Tribune, while Taliaferro reported raising more than $42,000 since March 1, including from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, AFSCME and several trade union organizations.