Thank You,
Thank you, Aurora for putting your trust in my ability to lead our city. My thank you message is overdue, but I wanted to include some vote totals. Additionally, my life has been a whirlwind since I woke up at 4:30 AM on Wednesday morning to do a media tour in Chicago. I have been running ever since. I still have 190 unanswered text messages to return and countless phone calls, so please bear with me.
My Deepest Gratitude For Our People-Powered Campaign:
In addition to expressing my appreciation to Aurora voters who chose a new direction, it is important that we take pride in what we accomplished as a campaign. We do not yet know how much money our opponents spent, including Independent Expenditures (IE’s), but we raised roughly $40,000 during the primary and an additional $53,000 for the consolidated election. I also want to thank the Illinois Democratic Party for spending a significant IE to support our race by sending mail pieces out that tied Richard Irvin to Donald Trump.
Despite some un-planned for, outside money, our campaign has been 100% people-powered by energized volunteers who want a government and an economy that works for everyone, instead of wealthy campaign donors. It is very humbling knowing that so many people stepped up to make such deep sacrifices of their time and money to support this historic campaign.
Election Results:
Final election results will not be certified until April 16th and our margin of victory is growing as mail-in ballots make their way to the four county clerks. Currently we earned 9,691 votes (53%) to Richard’s 8,695 (47%). A total of 18,386 voters cast a ballot for mayor. This is 5,712 “new voters,” who reflect a 31% increase over the last mayoral election in 2021 (12,674 people voted).
I also want to congratulate my peers who won their elections on April 1st – I look forward to running our city with you.
Keith Larson
At-Large Alderman
Dan Barreiro
Ward 1 Alderman
Juany Garza
Ward 2 Alderwoman
Jonathan Nunez
Ward 4 Alderman
To Be Determined
Ward 7 Alderman – Too close to call (as of Friday, Javier Banuelos was leading by 12 votes)
Edward Bugg
Ward 9 Alderman
Shweta Baid
Ward 10 Alderwoman
Campaign Wrap-Up/Transition:
We are going to be picking up signs, paying down debt, closing up the office, and moving towards transition. I will be announcing a transition team shortly. A volunteer thank-you event is being scheduled and the inauguration will be May 13th.
John Laesch is known for his unwavering commitment to progressive issues. With a strong focus on social justice, environmental sustainability, and inclusive policies, he seeks to lead Aurora toward a more equitable and forward-thinking future.