(TheRedWire.com) – Arne Duncan, who served as the Secretary of Education under President Obama, in a recent op-ed for the Chicago Tribune published on Friday expressed support for Paul Vallas for Chicago mayor.
In the piece, Duncan also spoke positively about progressive candidate Brandon Johnson and his campaign but ultimately said that his support for Vallas was because of his support for the police and law enforcement.
In the op-ed, he wrote that while he agreed in general with Johnson’s “broad commitment to ‘invest in people,’” he would still support Vallas as he thinks he is the city’s best “hope for a safer Chicago.” He added that if Johnson wins he would support him fully and that he believes it is necessary for everyone to back the mayor that wins in order for them to succeed.
Vallas comes from a family of law enforcement agents and had previously worked as “an unpaid adviser to the FOP and the union representing police sergeants,” he was also integral in the contract negotiations.
Vallas and Johnson were the two front-runners in the original election on Feb. 28, and they are now going to be facing each other. Both candidates had more support than defeated incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot whose time as mayor is to be restricted to one term. The two are going to participate in the runoff election on April 4.
So far, Vallas has managed to lead in the race against Johnson with his focus on crime. Chicago had an unprecedented increase in crime under Lightfoot. Duncan has also stated that crime should be one of the biggest issues that the future mayor will examine.
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