Johnson, Vallas continue to rack up endorsements as April 4 runoff nears
CHICAGO (CBS) – It was a busy weekend for Chicago's two remaining mayoral candidates.
Both Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson spent the day crisscrossing the city drumming up support for their campaigns.
CBS 2's Shardaa Gray had more on the push to become the next mayor of Chicago.
The unofficial vote count with write-in votes from the February 28 mayoral election showed Vallas led with more than 185,000 votes, while Johnson had nearly 122,000 votes.
On Sunday, both candidates picked up key endorsements.
It appears to be a tight race for both candidates Johnson and Vallas as the two continue to collect endorsements.
Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) announced he's backing Vallas as the South Side Irish Parade stepped off in Beverly on Sunday morning.
Johnson paid a visit to Grace Church in Logan Square on Sunday afternoon where he spoke about his plans to help the city's homeless residents.
Earlier in the day, he visited Sweet Holy Spirit Church in South Chicago where he picked up the endorsement of Bishop Larry Trotter.
Later in the evening, Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) announced his endorsement of Vallas. The former Chicago Public Schools head pushed his promises to invest in the community.
"I will build upon [Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Invest] SouthWest program," Vallas said. "And we're going to include the Southeast side too. I will build on that program and I will institutionalize that program."
Johnson also received an endorsement from the Illinois Nurses Association. He paid a visit to the Garfield Park neighborhood for the Oak Park Sneaker Ball.
"I live in one of the most violent neighborhoods in this city of Chicago," Johnson said. "I have more of an incentive for the city of Chciago to be safer than someone who is supported by someone who wants to put more guns on the streets."
About 1.5 million people registered to vote for the Feb. 28 election, but only half a million turned out to vote.
Early voting is set to being March 20.
The runoff election is set for April 4.
