CHICAGO (CBS) — When Brandon Johnson waded into the race for Mayor four days before Halloween, the trick was trying to stand out from a field of household Chicago names.
Names like — Lori Lightfoot, Chuy Garcia, Paul Vallas and Willie Wilson.
The treat would be making it to the general election.
“No one really knew Brandon Johnson other than some constituents and the labor unions before his runs. So he needed to build name ID from scratch,” said former Ald. Dick Simpson.
So how did a relative unknown clear the field?
“There is an advantage,” Simpson said. “You get to tell your own story. He didn’t have a record that could be closely looked at. He voted with [Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle] on the county board. He didn’t have a glaring issue where he voted wrong.”
Both 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston and Simpson point to Johnson’s authenticity as his sharpest weapon.
“Him being an unknown name may have been an asset against the list,” said Hairston. “You knew what you were getting with them. With Johnson, you had his sincerity.”
“There are very few politicians that will look you in the eye and you can feel their sincerity. “
Added Simpson: “He managed to connect with voters. He’s telegenic and friendly, and voters respond well to him and his message.”
What also worked well?
Two of the biggest names in front of him — Mayor Lightfoot and congressman Garcia took each other on.
“As Chuy’s numbers went down, Johnson’s went up and that was the beginning of a successful campaign,” Simpson said.
It was formula that propelled him to the general election against Paul Vallas, who had beaten him by 11 points.
But as the lights got brighter the questions got tougher, Johnson managed to bounce back from a rocky start, having to defend his comments on defunding the police, according to Simpson.
How did he handle incoming fire?
“I think he has been very thoughtful about it,” said Hairston. “That is an approach we have not seen.”
Campaign cash was also a challenge for Johnson, who had $10 million on hand compared with Vallas’ $18 million.
But what he lacked in money, Johnson made up for in manpower.
Vallas’ support was anchored by the Fraternal Order of Police. In the door-to-door ground game, insiders say Johnson had the upper hand with the Chicago Teachers Union.
“It’s much better to have the teachers,” said Simpson. “There are more of them. They’re better precinct workers.”
Opponents who attacked each other, field soldiers going the extra mile and a fresh name and authenticity–that is how you move from relative obscurity last fall to City Hall’s fifth floor corner office this week.
Hairston said the campaign was “well organized, people working, it was diverse. It’s everything people say they want campaigns to be, then they don’t do it.”
“I think overall you have to grade his campaign as an A,” Simpson said.
