Chicago Mayor’s Defeat Sums Up Democrats’ Big City Problem

What’s happening in Chicago might help explain why big cities full of liberals and Democrats shifted toward Donald Trump in the 2024 election. (WSJ)

The latest: Last week, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposal for a $300 million property tax hike to balance Chicago’s budget was unanimously rejected by the city council in a 50-0 vote, highlighting deeper financial issues facing the city.

• Chicago’s budget ballooned from $11 billion in 2019 to $17 billion in 2023, while Chicago Public Schools added nearly 7,000 employees despite a drop of over 30,000 students in enrollment.

• The city’s pension debt hit $37.2 billion in 2024, up $2 billion from the previous year, with pension payments now consuming 23.2% of the budget compared to just 6.8% in 2014.

• Federal COVID-19 relief funds meant as temporary support have been absorbed into ongoing expenses, raising the city’s spending benchmarks to unsustainable levels.

Big picture: Left-leaning pundits like Noah Smith have argued growing frustration with how Democrats are running cities may have contributed to a major swing toward Trump among urban voters.

• According to an analysis by former Commerce Secretary Jed Kolko, big cities’ 9-point shift toward Trump was one of the largest geographic community swings in 2024.

• In fact, Trump gained more ground in large metro urban counties than he did in suburbs, or mid-size and small metro areas.

A non-exhaustive list of problems plaguing many big cities: Rising urban disorder, unsustainable spending, mismanaged housing policies and inefficiencies in public services.