Paul Vallas, Chicago mayoral candidate, speaks to reporters. | Paul Vallas/Facebook
Paul Vallas, Chicago mayoral candidate, speaks to reporters. | Paul Vallas/Facebook
Former Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White, announced March 2 that he is endorsing, Paul Vallas, to be Chicago’s next mayor.
White, a Democrat, served as the secretary of state from 1999 to 2023 and has more than four decades of experience working with the government dating back to 1975.
White has been known to be very popular among voters across party lines, according to the Chicago Tribune. He is the highest-ranking Black politician in Illinois and hopes to increase support for Vallas among Black voters leading up to the April 4 runoff election.
“I’m absolutely thrilled beyond measure to be endorsed by my longtime friend and, in many ways, collaborator,” Vallas, the only white candidate in a mayoral race that featured nine candidates, said.
Vallas served 10 years in the Illinois Legislature where he focused on education and economic issues, according to his campaign website. He hopes White’s endorsement will help him gain more support among voters across Chicago, especially in areas where he hasn’t performed well.
Reducing crime and making communities safer has been a major focus of Vallas’ campaign and something White highlighted in his remarks.
“Of course, our neighborhoods will be better because you are going to put law enforcement on the streets so they can discharge their duties in a manner that will make the people of our city and the people who visit our city safe,” White said.
Vallas will face Cook County Commissioner, Brandon Johnson, in the runoff election April 4, the Tribune reported. Incumbent Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, was left off the runoff ballot as she finished third. The runoff election will take place after none of the candidates received a majority of the vote in the first round of voting.
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