* I saw some people online trying to turn this Suffolk/Tribune poll result into some sort of horse race. It isn’t. What it does show is that Mayor Johnson has been clawing his way out of his deep hole (the president is no doubt helping with that) as far as favorability is concerned. Whether that means he or anyone else listed below has a chance in the actual election is a whole other thing…

Is your opinion generally favorable or unfavorable?

Also in Johnson’s favor, 14 percent have no opinion of him. That’s better than the alternative.

* Methodology…

This survey of 500 residents of the city of Chicago was conducted by David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University’s Political Research Center, from April 11 to April 15, 2026, and is based on live telephone interviews of adults 18 years of age or older, residing in all 50 wards in the city of Chicago. Quota and demographic information — including region, race and age — were determined from census and American Community Survey data. Surveys were administered in English and Spanish. The margin of sampling error for results based on the total sample is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. All surveys may be subject to other sources of error, including but not limited to coverage error and measurement error.

Remember, these are residents, not registered or even likely voters. And a poll of just 500 people divvied over all 50 wards may have some problems. Also, nine percent never heard of Johnson? This is what I was talking about regarding how the poll was conducted.

* These three results will blow the haters’ minds…

How would you rate Chicago as a place to live?

How affordable is your life in Chicago today?

Do you generally feel safe in your neighborhood?

People generally like their city.

* Two more…

Nearly two-thirds of city residents also said they believed Chicago police officers generally do a good job and treat people of different races fairly, despite what was characterized as a “few bad apples on the force.” Another 30% described Chicago police as being “racist in the way they treat people, even if some of them try to do a good job.” […]

Additionally, 54% of city respondents said they would strongly or somewhat support redirecting some of the Chicago Police Department’s budget for social services, such as helping the homeless and mentally ill. Among them, nearly one-third, 32%, said they would strongly support such a defunding of the police.

It would’ve been helpful to see if the pollster specifically used that highly loaded “defunding” word.

* On to the Tribune’s other polling story…

Is your opinion generally favorable or unfavorable?

Little surprise there.

* More unsurprising results, and more reasons why the mayor has probably bounced back a tad…

How concerned are you about federal agents operating near polling locations during upcoming elections?

How strongly do you approve or disapprove of the federal government’s immigration efforts in the Chicago region, known as Operation Midway Blitz, last fall?

How strongly do you agree or disagree that the federal government needs to return to the Chicago region in 2026 to resume its immigration enforcement efforts?

Discuss.

[Many thanks to Isabel for her formatting work.]