Brandon Johnson, a progressive Democrat, was sworn in as the 57th mayor of Chicago on May 15.
He succeeds Democrat Lori Lightfoot, who lost in the Feb. 28 primary after years of coming under fire on issues ranging from COVID-19 to public safety. Johnson, 47, defeated Paul Vallas, a 69-year-old moderate Democrat in an upset in the April 4 runoff.
Johnson was sworn in by Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court Timothy C. Evans at an inauguration ceremony at the Credit Union 1 Arena at the University of Illinois Chicago. In addition to the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem, the ceremony included the Black National Anthem and an acknowledgment that the land on which the arena stands was stolen from Native Americans….