Chicago Democrats Issue Warnings About Their Mayor Amid Zohran Mamdani's Rise

Before New York City mayoral superior victor Zohran Mamdani made a splash, different big-city Democratic mayoral campaigner pinch progressive bona fides unexpectedly burst onto nan nationalist governmental scene.

Two years later, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s tenure has captured truthful overmuch antagonistic attraction (dubbed “America’s Worst Mayor” by The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board) that Mamdani’s run has taken note. Mamdani’s campy is search Johnson’s challenges and trying to debar repeating Second City missteps, according to a personification adjacent to some Mamdani’s and Johnson’s teams.

Johnson isn’t nan only progressive major-city politician successful nan country, and his troubles wouldn’t automatically construe to ideological allies. Mamdani himself has “repeatedly cited” different progressive politician arsenic a domiciled model, as The Boston Globe noted: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

But Johnson’s tenure successful Chicago does service arsenic a useful early informing strategy for immoderate of nan issues Mamdani could face successful New York, whether successful a multiway wide predetermination aliases arsenic mayor, if he wins successful November. Chicago Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, a beardown run state who has besides criticized immoderate of nan mayor’s early decisions, noted really critics often trot retired nan connection “socialism” to formed blasted connected Johnson for long-standing issues facing nan city. It’s a phenomenon, she added, that Mamdani could likewise face.

“People make this a bad word. People make this into thing that it is not. Let’s conscionable telephone each of this what it is: This is nan measurement nan rich | enactment rich | and nan mediocre enactment poor, because they get america fighting connected s--- that conscionable does not moreover matter,” she said.

Johnson was a region commissioner, schoolteacher and national organizer erstwhile he leapfrogged acold much battle-tested candidates to clinch nan city’s mayoralty. While Mamdani knocked retired erstwhile Gov. Andrew Cuomo successful nan Democratic superior successful New York City, earlier Cuomo began a third-party run, Johnson eliminated incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot from contention pinch his rise.

Johnson, who does not telephone himself a antiauthoritarian socialist but believes successful galore of nan aforesaid principles arsenic Mamdani, was swept into agency by a conjugation underpinned by nan powerful Chicago Teachers Union and nan city’s Black and brownish voters. He vowed to merge fractured coalitions and assistance up nan astir vulnerable. He represented change, and his beardown roots successful nan organization arsenic an activist, a genitor and a resident of a vicinity that struggles pinch crime gave dream astir caller efforts toward equality crossed a metropolis agelong profoundly segregated by title and income.

The young, energetic activist pinch a passion for fighting wealthiness inequality and lifting up nan city’s left-behind neighborhoods entered agency pinch overmuch promise. But it hasn’t gone good since then.

“They mislaid nan plot,” nan personification adjacent to some Mamdani’s and Johnson’s teams said of Johnson’s tenure. The personification noted that while some Johnson and Mamdani person circumstantial visions, they said Mamdani is “pragmatic and he wants to succeed” but described Johnson arsenic unbending astatine times.

One of nan astir important missteps, nan personification said, was whom Johnson brought into his administration, adding: “Staffing is very important. You request professionals who tin execute your vision. Those whitethorn not beryllium nan aforesaid group who ran your campaign.”

One of Mamdani’s caller communications hires comes pinch heavy experience. Dora Pekec, who erstwhile served arsenic a run head for Chicago Alderman Bill Conway, besides worked pinch House Majority PAC earlier heading communications for Brad Lander successful his New York mayoral run. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio also precocious suggested staffers nether his management would beryllium ripe for picking.

It was a constituent that Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., besides underscored. Garcia was among those who mislaid successful nan first information of Chicago’s 2023 mayoral election.

“When progressives tally for precocious agency it’s captious to beryllium fresh to govern,” Garcia wrote successful a matter message. “Governing entails striking a equilibrium betwixt promises made (ideals) and making nan wheels of authorities turn. Need to combine a squad that understands your priorities and present services, support relationships pinch stakeholders particularly a guidelines while expanding done engagement. Intergovernmental relationships request to beryllium really keen.”

“Experience successful processing and executing plans is astir important. This applies to Johnson and erstwhile Mamdani is elected,” he continued.

Agendas and obstacles

While attempting to make headway connected his agenda, Johnson was confronted pinch a rash of challenges facing Chicago, and his fame began to slide. With immoderate exceptions, observers opportunity it was little astir Johnson pushing far-left policies and much astir the mayor’s confrontational style, his struggles to pass and his inability to forge alliances pinch authorities and national officials.

Even arsenic he made headway successful nan areas of nationalist information and intelligence health, Johnson grew entrenched successful battles large and small, cultivating an aerial of play complete his City Hall.

While Johnson eschewed disapproval during his run that he would beryllium owned by nan teachers union, those concerns persisted. He did hammer retired a teachers statement without a disruption to nan schoolhouse twelvemonth — nary mini feat — but it proved to beryllium a bad-tempered and messy ordeal that could bring lasting governmental reprisal. He went to warfare pinch and fired a popular schools CEO, and besides saw nan resignations of nan entire committee of education, which Johnson had appointed.

Johnson almost instantly saw his conjugation splinter over an influx of migrants whom Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bused into Chicago without warning. Like different awesome cities astatine nan time, Chicago grappled pinch really to adequately location families vying for ineligible status. The metropolis fought pinch its ain residents, including successful neighborhoods of color, pinch overmuch of nan governmental backlash affecting Johnson.

He and Gov. JB Pritzker, a chap Democrat, stock a frosty narration astatine best. He locked horns with his metropolis council complete awesome argumentation decisions. He collapsed a run committedness by seeking a $300 cardinal spot taxation summation past suffered nan humiliation of a 50-0 assembly defeat.

William Daley, nan boy of longtime Mayor Richard J. Daley and relative of longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley, said Johnson’s troubles astatine slightest partially stem from lacking acquisition successful managing an expansive fund and overseeing tens of thousands of employees. He predicted that, if elected, nan 33-year-old Mamdani could look akin governmental troubles as Johnson.

“It’s a very reliable occupation if you’ve ne'er been successful authorities aliases successful a occupation that manages thing big,” Daley said, noting his brother’s anterior acquisition earlier his mayorship. “Rich had 8 years arsenic state’s attorney. … He had that acquisition for 8 years — moving something. It’s not an easy task for these group who person ne'er tally anything.”

Johnson’s predecessors had their ain shortcomings, from nationalist corruption to monolithic civilian authorities failures, relentless crime and mediocre fiscal guidance that still haunts nan metropolis today. In 2008, then-Mayor Richard M. Daley sold nan city’s parking meters to backstage investors for a staggering 75 years, trading billions of dollars successful early revenue to plug a fund spread for a one-time payment.

Taylor, nan Chicago City Council member, said that while Johnson “made immoderate rookie mistakes” he is unfairly getting nan brunt of nan blasted for mistakes shared by predecessors.

“You deliberation successful 22 months we person dug a $1.5 cardinal hole?” she said of those blaming Johnson. “The mathematics ain’t mathing.”

New beginnings

Politically, things person imaginable to look up for Johnson. Trump has sicced his Department of Justice connected nan politician to analyse his hiring practices aft Johnson had discussed hiring Black individuals for cardinal positions. Johnson fired backmost that his hiring reflected nan state and nan city, while Trump’s hiring reflected a “country club.”

It caught connected successful blimpish circles, pinch cablegram news hosts bashing Johnson conscionable arsenic they had done pinch Lightfoot. In an interview, she said Mamdani could expect nan same.

Lightfoot often deed back, and that brought its ain repercussions.

“It’s difficult to conflict against nan feline who’s sewage nan biggest megaphone successful nan world,” Lightfoot said. “Many of america who were Black women, for illustration maine successful Chicago, for illustration Muriel Bowser successful D.C., for illustration Keisha Lance Bottoms successful Atlanta, erstwhile he mentioned america by sanction successful a disparaging way, candidly, nan decease threats went done nan roof.”

Moving into nan 2nd half of his term, Johnson tin constituent to nationalist information arsenic 1 of his biggest achievements. Observers mostly applaud his prime of Superintendent Larry Snelling to lead nan constabulary department, arsenic good arsenic policies nan politician has put into place, for illustration boosting intelligence health services, restructuring nan detectives bureau and backing violence involution methods.

The number of murders successful nan metropolis has fallen for 2 consecutive years, and Chicago could beryllium connected gait to scope nan mayor’s goal of having less than 500 homicides this twelvemonth for nan first clip successful a decade.

“Mayor Johnson’s superior attraction complete his first 2 years successful agency has been connected driving down convulsive crime successful Chicago. Since taking office, Chicago has seen historical reductions successful crime and unit nether nan Johnson administration’s holistic approach,” a spokesperson from Johnson’s agency said successful a statement, citing a 33% driblet successful homicides successful nan first six months of 2025 and a 38% driblet successful shootings successful that aforesaid period. It besides boasted of having nan highest homicide clearance complaint successful much than a decade.

As acold arsenic Johnson’s canvass numbers, “the communicative that Mayor Johnson is unpopular has been constructed by a mini number of well-funded governmental organizations opposed to nan Mayor’s progressive agenda,” nan connection said.