STATEMENT: Chicago Voters Reject Emanuel's Legacy and Chart a New Direction for City Council
United Working Families Slate Victories the Culmination of Years of People-Powered Organizing
CHICAGO- Following is the statement of Emma Tai, Executive Director of United Working Families (UWF), on tonight’s UWF victories:
"Chicago belongs to the people. Tonight, voters rejected Rahm Emanuel's legacy of crumbling schools, skyrocketing violence and gentrification, and crushing inequality. Years of work by the women of color at the helm of United Working Families made this sea change possible. We're building a progressive, multi-racial alternative to the Democratic machine. Tonight's victories are the biggest expression yet of our power, and we're just getting started."
Background
United Working Families is an independent political organization that recruits, trains, and elects progressive champions from the ranks of grassroots struggle. In 2015, UWF ran a slate of challengers that ousted machine incumbents on the City Council; the 2018 primary victories of UWF candidates Alma Anaya, Aaron Ortiz, Brandon Johnson, and Delia Ramirez further built a bench of campaigners and organizers of color who were ready for 2019.
This election cycle, UWF was the first citywide organization to endorse Jeanette Taylor in 20 and Rossana Rodriguez in 33 along with February victors Maria Hadden (49) and Mike Rodriguez (22). UWF staff and leadership managed Jeanette, Rossana, and Rafa Yanez's runoff campaigns, knocking on over 500,000 doors and sending over 230,000 texts to voters since September. Our video lifting up the voices of young Black activists from the struggle against police violence reached over 80,000 Chicagoans in the final weekend alone.
UWF CANDIDATES WINNING OR UP (AS OF 8:30 CST)
JEANETTE TAYLOR, 20
BYRON SIGCHO LOPEZ, 25
ROSSANA RODRIGUEZ, 33
ANDRE VASQUEZ, 40
MATT MARTIN, 47
