POLITICIANS TEND to have extreme opinions. That’s how they win partisan primaries. Polling, though, shows that most voters have more moderate views, especially on hot-button issues such as gun control, abortion, and policing. “Our primary system and gerrymandering create this dynamic where you’re actually not getting the will of the people,” says Will Johnson, who since 2017 has been CEO of the Harris Poll, a Chicago-based survey company.
Harris’s polling finds that voters these days put a premium on pragmatism, competence, and moderation. That’s true of what Chicagoans want in their next mayor, too, Johnson about lessons from the midterm elections and what to look for in the race for the city’s top seat this month.
