Brandon Johnson accused Paul Vallas of dismissing him because he's Black. Vallas denied it, saying he was only criticizing Johnson for his “lack of management competency.” That’s pretty much how Tuesday’s debate went last night on CBS 2. Little digs here. Questions dodged there. A lot of phrases that we’ve heard before, like, “the fact of the matter is” and “at the end of the day.” And everyone’s supports treatment not trauma, thank you. Here’s the full CBS 2 debate. Tribune’s take At the City Club luncheon, Vallas said he’s running for mayor because ‘our house is on fire’: “Our downtown is half-vacant, a ghost town in the middle of the workweek. Our schools have lost a year of learning or more. Test scores have plummeted. Every public agency is facing a financial cliff,” he told attendees of the City Club of Chicago. Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman reports. Here’s Vallas’ speech. And in case you missed it, here’s Johnson’s speech from Monday. A forum tomorrow is sponsored by WBEZ and the Sun-Times. The fact of the matter ... Ald. Sophia King’s news Tuesday that she was endorsing Vallas for mayor caused a stir among some members of the Chicago City Council’s Progressive Reform Caucus, which she chairs. They want to make it clear that “King does not speak for the caucus” in endorsing Vallas. The statement was signed by aldermen endorsing Johnson: Daniel LaSpata (1st), Jeanette Taylor (20th), Michael Rodriguez (22nd), Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Rossana Rodriguez (33rd), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), Andre Vasquez (40th), Matt Martin (47th) and Maria Hadden (49th). King was speaking for herself, of course. Until Tuesday, she had been quiet about endorsing, as she was doing her homework and talking to Vallas and Johnson about their stands on issues. “As a leader, I have to make tough decisions. And it was very tough,” King told Playbook about her endorsement. In an op-ed in the Tribune, King said at the end of the day, she looked for “proven leadership skills and the ability to bring us together.” King isn’t the only progressive alderman endorsing Vallas. Ald. Roderick Sawyer, who also ran for mayor, is backing him, too. POLL | There’s a ‘striking’ lack of mayoral campaign outreach to Latino, Black voters: A Northwestern University poll on the mayor’s race finds Latino voters are still “up for grabs” while race and a generational divide are also key factors in the election, reports Sun-Times’ Mariah Rush. Why young people aren’t voting, by Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet Chicago schools are at a crossroads. The new mayor will determine the district’s next steps, writes Chalkbeat’s Becky Vevea. How Vallas and Johnson differ on plans for CPS, by Sun-Times’ Nader Issa and WBEZ’s Sarah Karp Overwrought: FOP President John Catanzara says there will be “blood in the streets” if Johnson wins, via a New York Times story about unions in the race. Endorsement: Watch for Martin Luther King III to endorse Johnson today. Mailer melodrama … Mayor Lori Lightfoot did not OK an anti-Brandon Johnson mailer with her photo, campaign says: “The mailer, paid for by the Paul Vallas campaign, features a Lightfoot past tweet criticizing Johnson’s stance on policing,” by WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel Vallas’ campaign is also out with a new ad attacking Johnson on economy issues. BORDER HELP: Gov. JB Pritzker is among a few billionaires who have each given $1 million to the Wisconsin Democratic Party ahead of next week’s state Supreme Court election pitting progressive Janet Protasiewicz against conservative Dan Kelly. A win by Protasiewicz, which could shift control of the court from a one-seat advantage for conservatives to a 4-3 liberal majority, “could have a domino effect in the state,” write POLITICO’s Zach Montellaro and Megan Messerly. Why it matters: “Most immediately, the court will likely decide the fate of abortion rights in Wisconsin; that and crime have been the focus of much of the debate surrounding the race. But there’s another hugely consequential matter the court could take up: a challenge to the state’s congressional district and legislative lines. And an adverse ruling for Republicans would pose a direct threat to the delegation’s GOP-heavy makeup,” according to Montellaro and Messerly. Pritzker has vowed to donate where he can in states that need protection from new abortion restrictions. Other $1M givers: Billionaire financier George Soros, and Tulsa, Okla., philanthropists Stacy and Lynn Schusterman, via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. If you are George Soros, Playbook wants to hear your take on 2024. Email skapos@politico.com.
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