‘Black labor v white wealth’: can a progressive win Chicago’s mayoral election?

The race could serve as a litmus test for police reform - and Brandon Johnson's policies on crime could leave him vulnerable in the general election

Brandon Johnson was in his element at Kenwood Academy high school.

The bespectacled former social studies teacher and candidate for Chicago mayor sat at a table next to his opponent, former Chicago public schools CEO Paul Vallas, during a recent afternoon debate. In an exhausting series of mayoral debates, Johnson had a home field advantage at Kenwood, where his son attends school.