“Crime is out of control, and combative leadership is failing us.”
Paul Vallas will put crime and your safety first.
“I’ll work with every community in every part of our city to confront our crime problem. Hold department leadership accountable, put more police on our streets and public transportation, open schools after hours to ensure young Chicagoans have safe alternatives to gangs and violence. And I’ll bring people together to get it done.”
Paul Vallas, crime and your safety is his top priority.
Crime is Chicago’s biggest problem, and Paul Vallas is a lifelong Democrat who puts crime and your safety first. As city budget director he made public safety a priority, helping grow the police department to record levels. Crime came down. Later, Vallas advised President Obama’s Department of Justice on needed criminal justice reforms. And when Mayor Lightfoot and our police were at odds, Vallas led negotiations that got an agreement no one thought possible. Paul Vallas. The difference? He puts crime and you’re safety first.
Brandon Johnson has a plan to make Chicago safer. Grow Chicago businesses and create jobs. Brandon’s plan will improve public schools for all of our kids. For mayor, Brandon Johnson is better for Chicago.
What do we really know about Chuy Garcia? Chuy secretly talked with this crypto crook who stole his customer’s life savings. Then spent a fortune to reelect Garcia. Chuy cut deals to help himself with the since-indicted Mike Madigan. Even while the disgraced speaker faced a federal corruption investigation. And Chuy took money from a red light camera company just hours before he delivered the deciding vote that made the company millions. Crypto crooks, indicted pals and pay to play profiteers. The more you know, the worse it gets.
Any of the back benchers who want to make headway need to skewer Lightfoot.
No wonder Lightfoot’s attack ad mirrors republican attack ads; she governs like a republican. I.E. fails, blames others, and acts based only on grievances.
- lake county democrat - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:22 am:
Why not? Vallas’ best shot: win 2nd place with a Youngkin-like pitch (and capture Chicago’s conservatives), then hope to ride anti-Lori sentiment to a victory. Thing is, this might be Lori’s best shot too.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:29 am:
That Lightfoot ad is only of the most cynical things I’ve seen. Putin would approve.
A for Vallas - he has been in charge of budgets and is suggesting things that can be paid for
C for Johnson - I like the person speaking but the pics chosen and verbiage scream arrogance
F for Lightfoot - when you yourself are comical at best, try to avoid comical on others
- Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:43 am:
Vallas- B+, it hits on his anti-crime message but when you watch with the sound off the hand gestures are a bit obnoxious.
Lightfoot- A-, not much to hit Chuy on but this is probably her best shot.
Johnson- D, all fluff and no substance. At least the other two back up their claims.
- Been saying it for years - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:47 am:
In her last ditch desperate attempt to avoid finishing at the bottom of the pack in this election, LL is going to finally lay bare the historic overlap between so-called “reformers” and small-government Republican voters in Chicago.
Vallas - “C-“… yeah, the budget and deficits, Vallas is placating without any real way to pay for any of it.
Johnson - “C-“… as a name ID, sure, it works, but so do the signs that say “let’s go Brandon”. Might be too simple.
Lightfoot - “D+”… looks like an ad that Ken Griffin or Bruce Rauner would pay for or run. The Madigan schtick is tiresome for an incumbent mayor who seemingly can’t run on her own merits. It’s a swing and a miss, but but a total failure.
Johnson’s in the running for my vote but that ad isn’t going to get it done, at least for me. If he’s plastering it on every screen maybe it can at least start raising his name recognition before expanding on specifics in a few weeks.
Vallas’s 2nd ad celebrates growing the police department to record levels. He’s really banking on this working despite the November report that the department is not using its $1.94 billion budget “effectively or equitably” because it lacks “a long-term, data-driven strategy to reduce violence.” (WTTW)
Perhaps he can also expand on his plans to address that before growing their bloated budget even further.
B for both Vallas ads - Crime is job one. He’s also working to inoculate himself from charges that he’s now a FoxNews/John Kass wannabe so he’ll tie himself as closely as possible to popular Democrats. That said, these ads are soooooo boring and cookie cutter.
D for Johnson - Not only are they cookie cutter, but they don’t say anything.
B+ for Lightfoot - Right now it’s Garcia and Vallas on track for the runoff so she needs to make a dent in his rep. This is a nice start.
Lightford- “A” Negative and negative move numbers.
Vallas “B”- he touches on what people in Chicago care about and is trying to innoculate himself from the coming hit he is a Republican.
Johnson “D” Who??
Solid “B+” for Vallas.
Lightfoot is so bad that she had to go all out negative. It’s a “B.”
No opinion on Johnson which is a “D.” Sixteen seconds is too short for a message.
Sometimes, I wonder where Illinois would be if Blagojevich did not edge Vallas in the 1992 gubernatorial primary. The difference was Southern Illinois.
Vallas - Good - Although I do not agree with everything Mr. Vallas says in the hits, they address the number 1 issue in a pointed way with ways Mr. Vallas wants to address the issue. He also ties himself to well liked Democrats like Obama, while still holding his “tough on crime” stance.
Johnson - Terrible - Mr. Johnson’s campaign has been extremely underwhelming to this point. The commercial tells voters nothing about his plan for Chicago, but that he “wants to make it better”….I hope so Mr. Johnson. I believe that the current Mayor wants to make it better, that does not mean she is doing a good job…..I really have no idea what CPS/SEIU were thinking with their endorsements here
Lightfoot - Desperate - The Mayor is simply grasping at straws at this point. I do not think voters know/care about SBF/crypto scandal, and I do not think there is a strong enough link to Madigan to move voters. I agree with others that it just feels like a tired GOP hit piece. The Mayor needs to figure something out quickly or she will find herself outside of the runoff.
- Back to the Future - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:25 am:
Vallas Ads— C minus- just doesn’t move the needle for me.
Johnson-B minus-not a bad first Ad. Confirms my thought that this fellow is just not in the same class as Mayor Lightfoot or Congressman Garcia.
Lightfoot- B minus- misleading, but keeps your attention.
I would rate the Vallas ad a C+. The message seems to be directed to the aggrieved FOP members but doesn’t tell me that he’s got an answer on crime issues. Johnson’s ad is a D for me. It says nothing. For Lightfoot I’d give the ad a B-. This is the type of campaign that she’s forced herself to run. When your record is week you have no choice but to attack your opponents. It’s not “vote for Lightfoot” as much as it’s anybody but Chuy.
It is interesting that the seemingly MAGA Vallas decides to tie himself to Obama here, but then again which candidate has the resources to educate voters, again, on the known Vallas?
B - Lightfoot. I personally hate the ad, but it probably does what it is supposed to do, hurt her strongest opponent.
C - Vallas. talking about public safety makes sense. Having to make sure folks know you are a democrat ain’t the greatest place to be in a Chicago election.
C - Brandon. I really, really wanted something stronger. It feels a bit like a parody of campaign ads. Super generic. Tell us why you are better than Lightfoot. Name her. You don’t need to get as ugly as her Garcia ad, but you need to take some swings.
==Vallas’ best shot: win 2nd place with a Youngkin-like pitch==
2nd place is all Vallas needs to make the runoff, for which he looks like a frontrunner. Whether his extreme focus on crime will resonate in the runoff is another question, but he’ll have time to pivot.
Johnson - F. The ad reads like a parody of a political ad. If this is what AFT money buys you, he’s in deep trouble.
- South side cubs fan - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 11:14 am:
Not one of the linked ads, but I feel like Lori Lightfoot’s tears in the spot re her mom look kinda contrived.
- lake county democrat - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 11:17 am:
City Zen - yes, that’s what I mean - get to the run-off. Many who don’t share his ideology will either vote for him out of hatred of Lori (possibly reasoning that Vallas will be checked by the City Council) or stay home. At the same time, 20-25% might be Vallas ceiling: Lori might prefer running against him rather than Chuy and needs to peel progressive votes off of him, even if they don’t land on her.
Lol, Paul Vallas going overboard to claim he’s a Democrat. He must be anticipating future attacks that will use his own words to undermine his Democratic bona fides. Good luck.
Brandon Johnson’s ad is generic. It introduces him with platitudes. Between Vallas and Johnson, just to pay for their promises in these two ads (more cops, better schools) will require billions in new taxes.
Lori’s got problems, but neither Johnson nor Vallas offers a real alternative. I’d expect the attacks on Chuy to continue and I’d paint him as the machine candidate if I were advising the Mayor’s campaign. She can do to Chuy what she did to Preckwinkle four years ago because there is enough to make the charge stick.
Vallas : B, it does a good job defining his candidacy on an issue that I don’t think anyone has ever really associated with him.
Johnson: B+, almost an A-. I love a positive ad that focuses exclusively on the candidate. Branding crime as a safety issue is better language and indicates a better understanding of the issue.
Lightfoot: B for the content, D for the choice to run it. Lots of other candidates in the race and there are better ways to get these associations out there in discussion than spending on an ad. Lots of other candidates out there. If everyone starts running ads associating their opponents with Mike Madigan this race will be a hoot to watch. We’ve finally rid ourselves of that villain and for a long time that villain has been a required part of a great number of political successes and literally every single piece of legislation since I came of age.
That’s part of what made him a proper villain. There are only glass houses, but in the throwing of stones we might be fortunate enough to learn something that could lead towards more indictments.
- Frumpy White Guy - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 12:20 pm:
Mayor Lightfoot’s ad is brilliant as Congressman Garcia is the one to beat. She might want to reconsider her Madigan attacks as he clearly controls the Labor unions and their campaign funds.
Brandon is a B for content and a D for execution. it was too choppy. The Vallas ads are a C cause they are all over the place. The Lightfoot ad is an F because all politics is local.
- Chris in ChiTown - Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 3:54 am:
The Lightfoot ad reminds me of when I went to a Chuy fundraiser in the late summer of 2018 in the West Loop. I noticed one mayoral candidate was there. That person was Lori Lightfoot. This was before Emanuel said he wouldn’t run. I thought (mistakenly) that she would be a progressive.
Her ad features the amount that a FTX funded PAC spent for Garcia, and makes it seem like it was a donation. That amount was only $2,900, which her ad didn’t mention (because a corporate lawyer turned pol can lie, I guess.)
Let’s remember that Ald. Harris, the chair of the Rules Committee, hired a longtime Madigan election lawyer (Kasper) to assist with the redistricting. The guy actually drew a map that Ed Burke liked.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:15 am:
==“Crime is out of control, and combative leadership is failing us.”==
This seems like kind of a rhetorical tight rope act.
- AlfondoGonz - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:22 am:
Any of the back benchers who want to make headway need to skewer Lightfoot.
No wonder Lightfoot’s attack ad mirrors republican attack ads; she governs like a republican. I.E. fails, blames others, and acts based only on grievances.
- lake county democrat - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:22 am:
Why not? Vallas’ best shot: win 2nd place with a Youngkin-like pitch (and capture Chicago’s conservatives), then hope to ride anti-Lori sentiment to a victory. Thing is, this might be Lori’s best shot too.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:29 am:
That Lightfoot ad is only of the most cynical things I’ve seen. Putin would approve.
- The Truth - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:39 am:
I had hoped to never hear “the more you know, the worse it gets” again. Now it seems like it’ll never leave.
- Lurker - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:40 am:
A for Vallas - he has been in charge of budgets and is suggesting things that can be paid for
C for Johnson - I like the person speaking but the pics chosen and verbiage scream arrogance
F for Lightfoot - when you yourself are comical at best, try to avoid comical on others
- Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:43 am:
Vallas- B+, it hits on his anti-crime message but when you watch with the sound off the hand gestures are a bit obnoxious.
Lightfoot- A-, not much to hit Chuy on but this is probably her best shot.
Johnson- D, all fluff and no substance. At least the other two back up their claims.
- Been saying it for years - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:47 am:
In her last ditch desperate attempt to avoid finishing at the bottom of the pack in this election, LL is going to finally lay bare the historic overlap between so-called “reformers” and small-government Republican voters in Chicago.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:54 am:
Vallas - “C-“… yeah, the budget and deficits, Vallas is placating without any real way to pay for any of it.
Johnson - “C-“… as a name ID, sure, it works, but so do the signs that say “let’s go Brandon”. Might be too simple.
Lightfoot - “D+”… looks like an ad that Ken Griffin or Bruce Rauner would pay for or run. The Madigan schtick is tiresome for an incumbent mayor who seemingly can’t run on her own merits. It’s a swing and a miss, but but a total failure.
- Humboldt - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 9:58 am:
Johnson’s in the running for my vote but that ad isn’t going to get it done, at least for me. If he’s plastering it on every screen maybe it can at least start raising his name recognition before expanding on specifics in a few weeks.
Vallas’s 2nd ad celebrates growing the police department to record levels. He’s really banking on this working despite the November report that the department is not using its $1.94 billion budget “effectively or equitably” because it lacks “a long-term, data-driven strategy to reduce violence.” (WTTW)
Perhaps he can also expand on his plans to address that before growing their bloated budget even further.
- Homebody - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:03 am:
Ah //bleep//, I had hoped I was done seeing political ads, completely forgetting the weird schedule of the mayoral election.
- New Day - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:03 am:
B for both Vallas ads - Crime is job one. He’s also working to inoculate himself from charges that he’s now a FoxNews/John Kass wannabe so he’ll tie himself as closely as possible to popular Democrats. That said, these ads are soooooo boring and cookie cutter.
D for Johnson - Not only are they cookie cutter, but they don’t say anything.
B+ for Lightfoot - Right now it’s Garcia and Vallas on track for the runoff so she needs to make a dent in his rep. This is a nice start.
- Tom - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:05 am:
Lightford- “A” Negative and negative move numbers.
Vallas “B”- he touches on what people in Chicago care about and is trying to innoculate himself from the coming hit he is a Republican.
Johnson “D” Who??
- Gravitas - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:12 am:
Solid “B+” for Vallas.
Lightfoot is so bad that she had to go all out negative. It’s a “B.”
No opinion on Johnson which is a “D.” Sixteen seconds is too short for a message.
Sometimes, I wonder where Illinois would be if Blagojevich did not edge Vallas in the 1992 gubernatorial primary. The difference was Southern Illinois.
- Big Dipper - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:16 am:
Someone in cahoots with Awake Illinois and Catanzara is not a Democrat, much less a lifelong one. He is MAGA lite.
- L. Scripps - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:23 am:
Vallas - Good - Although I do not agree with everything Mr. Vallas says in the hits, they address the number 1 issue in a pointed way with ways Mr. Vallas wants to address the issue. He also ties himself to well liked Democrats like Obama, while still holding his “tough on crime” stance.
Johnson - Terrible - Mr. Johnson’s campaign has been extremely underwhelming to this point. The commercial tells voters nothing about his plan for Chicago, but that he “wants to make it better”….I hope so Mr. Johnson. I believe that the current Mayor wants to make it better, that does not mean she is doing a good job…..I really have no idea what CPS/SEIU were thinking with their endorsements here
Lightfoot - Desperate - The Mayor is simply grasping at straws at this point. I do not think voters know/care about SBF/crypto scandal, and I do not think there is a strong enough link to Madigan to move voters. I agree with others that it just feels like a tired GOP hit piece. The Mayor needs to figure something out quickly or she will find herself outside of the runoff.
- Back to the Future - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:25 am:
Vallas Ads— C minus- just doesn’t move the needle for me.
Johnson-B minus-not a bad first Ad. Confirms my thought that this fellow is just not in the same class as Mayor Lightfoot or Congressman Garcia.
Lightfoot- B minus- misleading, but keeps your attention.
- Jocko - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:25 am:
C for Vallas, D for Johnson. Johnson has no plan, Vallas has no money to put his plan into action.
B for Lightfoot. Kudos for the SBF link, but $1500 red light and Madigan are weak sauce.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:30 am:
I would rate the Vallas ad a C+. The message seems to be directed to the aggrieved FOP members but doesn’t tell me that he’s got an answer on crime issues. Johnson’s ad is a D for me. It says nothing. For Lightfoot I’d give the ad a B-. This is the type of campaign that she’s forced herself to run. When your record is week you have no choice but to attack your opponents. It’s not “vote for Lightfoot” as much as it’s anybody but Chuy.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:32 am:
It is interesting that the seemingly MAGA Vallas decides to tie himself to Obama here, but then again which candidate has the resources to educate voters, again, on the known Vallas?
Found it interesting is all.
- Montrose - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 10:37 am:
B - Lightfoot. I personally hate the ad, but it probably does what it is supposed to do, hurt her strongest opponent.
C - Vallas. talking about public safety makes sense. Having to make sure folks know you are a democrat ain’t the greatest place to be in a Chicago election.
C - Brandon. I really, really wanted something stronger. It feels a bit like a parody of campaign ads. Super generic. Tell us why you are better than Lightfoot. Name her. You don’t need to get as ugly as her Garcia ad, but you need to take some swings.
- City Zen - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 11:11 am:
==Vallas’ best shot: win 2nd place with a Youngkin-like pitch==
2nd place is all Vallas needs to make the runoff, for which he looks like a frontrunner. Whether his extreme focus on crime will resonate in the runoff is another question, but he’ll have time to pivot.
Johnson - F. The ad reads like a parody of a political ad. If this is what AFT money buys you, he’s in deep trouble.
- South side cubs fan - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 11:14 am:
Not one of the linked ads, but I feel like Lori Lightfoot’s tears in the spot re her mom look kinda contrived.
- lake county democrat - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 11:17 am:
City Zen - yes, that’s what I mean - get to the run-off. Many who don’t share his ideology will either vote for him out of hatred of Lori (possibly reasoning that Vallas will be checked by the City Council) or stay home. At the same time, 20-25% might be Vallas ceiling: Lori might prefer running against him rather than Chuy and needs to peel progressive votes off of him, even if they don’t land on her.
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 11:21 am:
Vallas rate C
We need facts, details. Be specific with plans for change.
Johnson rate D
Not inspiring.Few details on plans and programs for change.
Lightfoot rate F
Really, featuring cartoon caricatures of past politicians. At least she’s not playing a violin.
- CTA Defender - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 11:39 am:
Do we think Brandon could have fit any more quick cuts into his ad?
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 11:49 am:
Lol, Paul Vallas going overboard to claim he’s a Democrat. He must be anticipating future attacks that will use his own words to undermine his Democratic bona fides. Good luck.
Brandon Johnson’s ad is generic. It introduces him with platitudes. Between Vallas and Johnson, just to pay for their promises in these two ads (more cops, better schools) will require billions in new taxes.
Lori’s got problems, but neither Johnson nor Vallas offers a real alternative. I’d expect the attacks on Chuy to continue and I’d paint him as the machine candidate if I were advising the Mayor’s campaign. She can do to Chuy what she did to Preckwinkle four years ago because there is enough to make the charge stick.
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 12:17 pm:
Vallas : B, it does a good job defining his candidacy on an issue that I don’t think anyone has ever really associated with him.
Johnson: B+, almost an A-. I love a positive ad that focuses exclusively on the candidate. Branding crime as a safety issue is better language and indicates a better understanding of the issue.
Lightfoot: B for the content, D for the choice to run it. Lots of other candidates in the race and there are better ways to get these associations out there in discussion than spending on an ad. Lots of other candidates out there. If everyone starts running ads associating their opponents with Mike Madigan this race will be a hoot to watch. We’ve finally rid ourselves of that villain and for a long time that villain has been a required part of a great number of political successes and literally every single piece of legislation since I came of age.
That’s part of what made him a proper villain. There are only glass houses, but in the throwing of stones we might be fortunate enough to learn something that could lead towards more indictments.
- Frumpy White Guy - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 12:20 pm:
Mayor Lightfoot’s ad is brilliant as Congressman Garcia is the one to beat. She might want to reconsider her Madigan attacks as he clearly controls the Labor unions and their campaign funds.
- Steve - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 12:38 pm:
that Brandon ad almost gave me seizure
- Amalia - Wednesday, Jan 4, 23 @ 1:07 pm:
Brandon is a B for content and a D for execution. it was too choppy. The Vallas ads are a C cause they are all over the place. The Lightfoot ad is an F because all politics is local.
- Chris in ChiTown - Thursday, Jan 5, 23 @ 3:54 am:
The Lightfoot ad reminds me of when I went to a Chuy fundraiser in the late summer of 2018 in the West Loop. I noticed one mayoral candidate was there. That person was Lori Lightfoot. This was before Emanuel said he wouldn’t run. I thought (mistakenly) that she would be a progressive.
Her ad features the amount that a FTX funded PAC spent for Garcia, and makes it seem like it was a donation. That amount was only $2,900, which her ad didn’t mention (because a corporate lawyer turned pol can lie, I guess.)
Let’s remember that Ald. Harris, the chair of the Rules Committee, hired a longtime Madigan election lawyer (Kasper) to assist with the redistricting. The guy actually drew a map that Ed Burke liked.