Two-term Ald. Gilbert Villegas declared victory Tuesday over his challenger, a Chicago Teachers Union leader, in the 36th Ward — a teeter-totter-shaped ward drastically redrawn by City Council in a fit of political pique during last year’s ugly remap battle.
With 85% of precincts reporting, Villegas had 58% of the vote to Leonor Torres Whitt’s 42%, according to unofficial results.
Villegas said the vote was a “testament that showed that this seat was not for sale” to “special interest groups” like the CTU.
Torres Whitt sits on the CTU’s Executive Board and teaches Spanish at Monroe Elementary School. Political action committees associated with the union contributed $150,000 to Torres Whitt’s campaign in direct funding, mailers, polling and other campaign help, according to state records.
In a concession statement, Torres Whitt said, “We are disappointed tonight, but we will keep working tomorrow.”
“The working families of the 36th Ward deserve an Alderperson who isn’t bought by millionaires and special interests,” Torres Whitt said.
Villegas held his election night party at Barcocina in West Town, where supporters snacked on tacos and let out cheers when television results showed Villegas’ solidly in the lead.
Villegas was helped by super PACs aligned with charter schools and some members of the business community. The Get Stuff Done PAC, an independent expenditure committee that can’t coordinate with candidates and is funded by allies of former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the business community, reported spending roughly $60,000 to support Villegas or oppose Torres Whitt, campaign finance records show.
Villegas got 46.5% of the vote in the four-candidate first round, with Torres Whitt getting 30%.
The Chicago Teachers Union PAC spent $70,285 on mailers backing Torres Whitt, according to state campaign finance records.
Torres Whitt had argued she was better positioned than Villegas to represent the redrawn ward, which slants southeast from the Far Northwest Side’s Dunning neighborhood down Grand Avenue all the way to the West Town area.
The bar where Villegas held his election night party is in new territory of the redrawn ward, but the party brought out old faces who supported Villegas before the shift, including his mother, Noemi Figueroa. She told the Tribune that the remap left her out of her son’s ward and she was unable to vote for him.
Villegas has highlighted the creation of the city’s guaranteed income program as a key accomplishment and said if reelected, he would continue his commitment to “funding police at the proper levels.”
Because of term limits, Villegas will not be able to chair City Council’s Latino Caucus for another term, but said he looks forward to working with the caucus and his new successor.