WHEN IT CAME TO fundraising, Paul Vallas had Brandon Johnson beat. Days before the April 4 mayoral runoff, Vallas reported contributions of over $19 million, more than half of that coming from 44 individuals or organizations. Johnson clocked in at just over $11 million, largely from unions. But where Johnson had the upper hand, and what ultimately propelled him to an upset victory, was his community outreach — appealing to supportive voters to turn out to the polls.
The person leading that charge was Emma Tai, executive director of United Working Families, a political advocacy organization started in 2014 by social-welfare and labor groups, including about the decade-long effort to elect a progressive mayor, how she abandoned a community organizer’s mindset of only going after winnable targets, and why she identifies with a certain rebel in the universe.
