Progressive firebrand Elizabeth Warren endorses Brandon Johnson in April 4 runoff

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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a former Democratic presidential candidate and progressive political icon, on Friday endorsed Brandon Johnson in the April 4 mayoral runoff, a move that could help boost Johnson’s efforts to get out the vote.

As a public school teacher, Warren said Johnson “understands what it takes to build a stronger Chicago for everyone” — not just the privileged few.

“From education to public safety to housing, Brandon has a bold, forward-looking, progressive plan to move Chicago forward and he has the experience to make those plans real,” Warren said in a news release.

“That’s why he’s sparked such an extraordinary movement in this race. And that’s why I’m proud to support Brandon’s historic campaign for mayor.”

Warren tweeted her endorsement of Johnson to her 5.9 million followers. But her greatest value to Johnson is in consolidating his progressive base and boosting turnout that was just over 35% on Feb. 28.

She can do that if her endorsement goes beyond a press release. If she comes to Chicago to hold rallies for Johnson, helps to raise money for him or makes commercials or tapes robocalls for him, that could make a significant difference in Johnson’s efforts to get out the vote.

Johnson’s campaign manager, Jason Lee, said he’s “having those conversations” with Warren’s staff to determine “what she will do” for the campaign.

“This isn’t the last you’ll hear of what Elizabeth Warren is doing in this race. She’s open to potentially coming here doing some get-out-the-vote work. She’s open to doing a number of things. It’s just a matter of scheduling. She’s got a lot on her plate. Her reelection is coming up soon,” Lee said.

Chicago was one of the cities where Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign “got a lot of small donor support,” Lee said. He hopes to “leverage some of that” for Johnson, even with “certain restrictions on how” U.S. senators can use their email lists.

“She definitely will be a draw for some of our fundraising activities online. She’s a Democratic stalwart ... who’s a leader on progressive values. So that validation is critical. It always helps when you have people like this to bring more attention and energy to the race. She’s a proven draw and a proven motivator,” he said.

In 2019, Warren came to Chicago to support Chicago Public School teachers five days into an 11-day strike that was the longest in three decades.

Warren’s decision to join striking Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 73 members on the picket line outside Oscar DePriest Elementary School on the West Side was a much-needed morale boost.

A day earlier, the Chicago Teachers Union’s relationship with Mayor Lori Lightfoot had hit an all-time low. It happened when the mayor sent a letter to CTU leaders urging them to end their strike and return to work, claiming “there is no more money” left to offer.

Lee said Johnson and Warren “have gotten to know each other since” the strike and “worked together” on Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign, when Warren drew “crowds of 3,000 or 4,000 people,” particularly in U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s district.

“She’s very, very popular all over the city, but particularly on the North Side. She’s got a real big base among women. She’s an advocate for choice issues. There’s a lot of issues in this race that are important that she can help validate. She can help mobilize folks and even expand the coalition — particularly among liberal women, which is a huge target base for us,” Lee said.

Contributing: Lynn Sweet