When labor activist Brandon Johnson upset Paul Vallas in Chicagos 2023 runoff mayoral election, the Left had good cause for optimism. One of their own, a former Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) activist, had just won the highest elected office in the third largest city in the United States. And, even better, he did so with an explicit commitment to pursuing a racial and economic justice platform. After the Sanders 2020 campaign, it was a much-needed glimmer of hope for the American left.