>>> LIGHTFOOT, GARCIA, WILSON, ALL OUT BUT WHERE THEIR VOTERS GO AND WHO'S THE EARLY RUNNER BETWEEN PAUL VALLAS AND BRANDON JOHNSON?

THAT'S THE FOCUSED OF TONIGHT'S SPOTLIGHT POLITICS.

JOINING US TONIGHT IS HEATHER SHARON.

LET'S START WITH LIGHTFOOT, SHE CAME OUT AROUND 8:45 LAST NIGHT AND CONCEDED.

>> REGARDLESS OF TONIGHT'S OUTCOME, WE FOUGHT THE RIGHT FIGHT AND WE PUT THIS CITY ON A BETTER PATH.

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

>> THAT WAS THE MAYOR, THE NEWS OF THE DAY, DAVID BROWN RESIGNED, NOT UNEXPECTED.

SHE STUCK WITH HIM THROUGH FOUR YEARS, DID THAT HURT HER REELECTION PROSPECT?

>> IT DIDN'T HELP BECAUSE EVERYONE SAID FIRE DAVID BROWN.

HE BASICALLY JUMPED BEFORE HE WAS PUSHED.

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD OVERLOOK.

PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY THING PAUL AND BRANDON CAN AGREE ON IS THAT DAVID BROWN HAD OVERSTAYED HIS WELCOME HERE IN CHICAGO.

THE NEW MAYOR WILL HAVE TO FIND A NEW POLICE SUPERINTENDENT.

>> VERY EXPECTED NEWS TODAY.

YOU ARE AT BRANDON JOHNSON HEADQUARTERS LAST NIGHT WHERE THE CANDIDATE LAID OUT HIS DECISION FOR TACKLING THE PROBLEMS.

>> THIS IS THE TRUTH ABOUT PAUL VALLAS, HE HAS LITERALLY FAILED EVERYWHERE HE HAS GONE.

IN FACT, PAUL VALLAS IS THE AUTHOR OF THE TALE OF TWO CITIES.

>> HE FINISHES ABOUT 70,000 VOTES BEHIND PAUL VALLAS, WHAT IS HIS PATH AHEAD?

>> I THINK HE STARTED TO LAY IT OUT LAST NIGHT AND TONIGHT HE WANTS TO SHORE UP HIS PROGRESSIVE BONA FIDES, HE WANTS TO PEEL OFF VOTES FOR OTHER CANDIDATES WHO DIDN'T MAKE THE RUNOFF AND HE WANTS TO DRAW A STARK CONTRAST BETWEEN HIMSELF AND PAUL VALLAS.

HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME LAST NIGHT LAYING OUT HOW HIS LIFE EXPERIENCES, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP, TEACHING AND LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES, HE OFFERED AN OLIVE BRANCH TO VOTERS.

UNSUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES, SAYING I'M GOING TO WORK HARD TO EARN YOUR SUPPORT.

HE THANKED THE OTHER CANDIDATES WHO RAN EVEN WHEN THEY DISAGREED AND HE DID GO ON THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST PAUL VALLAS SAYING HIS RECORD ON EDUCATION AND FAILURE IN CHICAGO AND OTHER CITIES WHERE HE'S BEEN SCHOOL CHIEF LIKE NEW ORLEANS.

JOHNSON SAID PAUL VALLAS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXODUS OF BLACK EDUCATORS SO I THINK THAT WILL BE HIS ROAD FORWARD, WHETHER HE CAN GARNER ENOUGH VOTES TO WIN IN APRIL, THAT IS SOMETHING I WILL ANSWER IN FIVE WEEKS.

>> HE'S CLEARLY GOING TO GO AFTER VALLAS THOUGH I WONDER IF VALLAS WILL TAKE THE SAME TACTIC AGAINST HIM.

SPEAKING OF VALLAS, HE CAME OUT LAST NIGHT SPEAKING ABOUT HIS EMMA CRADDICK BONA FIDES AS WELL.

>> I AM A LIFELONG DEMOCRAT.

FOR SOME OF YOU, WHO REMEMBER , ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC PROGRESSIVE LEGISLATORS, SHE WAS MY MENTOR AND MY BOSS AND MY FRIEND FOR TWO DECADES.

>> HEATHER, VERY CLEARLY DEFINING HIS PROGRESSIVE BONA FIDES BECAUSE SOME HAVE TRIED TO PAINT HIM AS A CONSERVATIVE.

IS HE THE FRONT RUNNER RIGHT NOW?

>> I DON'T THINK SO BECAUSE EVERY OTHER CANDIDATE DECLARED THEMSELVES TO BE SOME FORM OF PROGRESSIVE, WHICH MEANS THEY ARE AT LEAST OPEN TO HEARING WHAT BRANDON JOHNSON HAS TO SAY.

BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH MEDIA ATTENTION ON PAUL VALLAS AS THE FRONT RUNNER DURING THAT FIRST ROUND OF VOTING, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY VOTES WERE CAST YESTERDAY AGAINST PAUL VALLAS RATHER THAN FOR ANOTHER CANDIDATE.

>> SOME OF THOSE VOTES WENT TO GARCIA WHO FINISHED IN FOURTH PLACE.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT HIS CONCESSION SPEECH.

>> TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME.

FOR BELIEVING IN OUR MISSION, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU LEFT ON THE FIELD TODAY.

I'M VERY PROUD OF YOU.

>> HE STARTED THIS RACE POLLING IS A FRONT RATHER THAT'S MAC FRONT RUNNER, FOURTH PLACE IS A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT FOR HIM ISN'T IT?

>> IT REALLY IS, I SPOKE WITH HIS FAMILY MEMBER YESTERDAY WHO WAS HOPING HE WOULD BE THE FIRST LATINO MAYOR OF CHICAGO BUT HE FELL SHORT.

THERE WERE A LOT OF FACTORS THAT FELL INTO THAT.

HE WAS BANKING ON GETTING THOSE VOTES BECAUSE OF HIS LONG-STANDING CAREER.

HE'S BEEN IN THE GAME FOR OVER 40 YEARS AND I DON'T KNOW IF HE SHOWED UP THE WAY HE DID IN 2015.

I DO HAVE TO SAY HE TOOK THE TIME TO THANK AND CONGRATULATE THE OTHERS BECOMING THE FIRST LATINO TO REPRESENT THE 14th WARD.

>> HE'S BEEN MORE SUCCESSFUL HELPING CROWN OTHER WINNERS THAT HE HAS HIMSELF.

>> AND PART OF HIS MISSION, PAVING THE WAY FOR OTHER LATINOS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR TO BE IN THESE POSITIONS.

>> SO NICK WE HAVE TALKED TO A FEW ALDER FOLKS, THERE IS STILL A LOT UP IN THE AIR.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE COUNCIL RACES SHAPING UP?

>> I THINK IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER THERE IS A BIG PROGRESSIVE WAVE AND A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT RUNOFF ELECTIONS AND MAIL-IN BALLOTS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN COUNTED.

PROGRESSIVE INCUMBENTS HAD A PRETTY GOOD NIGHT, PROGRESSIVE CHALLENGERS OR PROGRESSIVES RUNNING FOR OPEN SEATS, THAT KIND OF REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE 44th WAR THAT'S A BIG VICTORY FOR PROGRESSIVE.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER RUNOFFS WITH REALLY LARGE RACES WHERE IT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON WHETHER A GROUP OF PEOPLE, IF THEY CAN COALESCE AROUND 1-2 OF THOSE CANDIDATES.

>> CERTAINLY AN INCUMBENT LIKE DANIEL ESPADA, AT LAST CHECK HE WAS THE TOP VOTE GETTER BUT HASN'T QUITE SAVED HIMSELF FROM A RUNOFF.

HE'S HOPING MAIL-IN VOTES HELP.

>> THERE ARE SOME OF THOSE CANDIDATES THAT LIKE 49.5% .

IF YOU ARE UNDER 50 YOU HAVE TO DO