Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago is getting a quick lesson on performance approval polls. It turns out that lousy mayors and governors get bad approval numbers. Here is the story:

In January 2023, shortly before the February Chicago mayoral elections, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot had a dismal 22% approval rating. Current Mayor Brandon Johnson’s approval has now sunk even lower, to only 6.6% in the latest poll, as issues such as rising crime concern residents of the Windy City.

In the latest poll from M3 Strategies, which surveyed 696 likely Chicago voters Feb. 20-21, 67% said that crime was one of the top three issues facing Chicago, followed by high taxes at 54% and inflation at 41%. 

Who knew that voters concerned about crime, high taxes, and inflation would say "thumbs down" when talking about their mayor?

To be fair, I'm not sure what the mayor can do about inflation or taxes. However, the crime is all on him and his predecessor. They have tied the hands of the police, made excuses for criminals and now the place is a mess.

Another issue to remember is how the teachers' union turned out to put Johnson in power. He was the candidate who opposed pro-charter school and school choice policies. He was their man and they put him in. It did a lot to demonstrate who runs Chicago but it didn't do much to teach kids how to read, write, and multiply.

Sadly, Chicago is stuck with their man and his disastrous policies. Add to the formula a governor who is more interested in fighting Trump than making Chicago great again.

So the people of the Windy City will continue to be stuck in the hole that they are in. Elections have consequences, as we hear.

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Image: Charles Edward Miller