I found Allysia Finley’s Wall Street Journal analysis of the Chicago mayoral election unsatisfying:
Chicago’s mayoral election is a power struggle between Democratic Party bosses and activists—the city’s rusted-out machine versus its progressive grass roots. And the Smollett case has become a key flashpoint.
The nation’s third-largest city has long been ruled by the Democratic machine. Although Mayor Emanuel once served as a Washington power broker, he was never embraced by Chicago’s machine or unions. Kingpin Richard M. Daley served as mayor for 22 years (1989-2011), but Mr. Emanuel is stepping down this year after two tumultuous terms rather than fight an uphill re-election battle amid deteriorating city finances, increasing property taxes, high crime and a restive electorate.
His retirement sparked a nonpartisan primary free-for-all in February with 14 candidates. Bill Daley was an early favorite but the former mayor’s brother (who succeeded Mr. Emanuel in 2011 as President Obama’s chief of staff) was derided by unions and progressives as too moderate. Despite performing strongly in the city’s downtown business district, he finished third with 14.8% of the vote.
Ms. Lightfoot led the field with 17.5% and ran away with the limousine-liberal vote on the city’s North Side. The 56-year-old black former prosecutor highlighted her sundry opponents’ ties to Alderman Ed Burke—the longest-serving member on the City Council—who was indicted in January for extorting campaign donations from a Burger King franchise owner.
What’s missing is that more black voters voted for the most anti-establishment and most conservative candidate running in the primaries than either of the two candidates who ultimately prevailed. Mostly white Lake Shore liberals and whites supporting public employees’ unions voted for the machine candidate; the Northwest Side voted for Lightfoot. The candidate most representative of the views of the “new left” came in fourth.
