Andre Vasquez (born May 21, 1979) is a

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politician,

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

, and former

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. He is the alderman of the city's 40th ward. He won election to that office after defeating incumbent Patrick O'Connor in the

2019 Chicago aldermanic elections The 2019 Chicago aldermanic election took place in two rounds on February 26 and April 2, 2019, to elect 50 aldermen to the Chicago City Council. Each alderman represents one of Chicago's 50 wards. The elections are non-partisan and use a two-ro ...

. Vasquez is a member of the Chicago chapter of the

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...

Early life, education, and career

Vasquez was born in Chicago on May 21, 1979, and attended

Lane Technical College Prep High School Lane Tech College Prep High School (often shortened to Lane Tech, full name Albert Grannis Lane Technical College Preparatory High School), is a public 4-year selective enrollment magnet high school located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood on ...

. He attended the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...

, where he studied English/Language Arts Teacher Education, but did not graduate. He later earned an associate degree in business administration and management from

Kaplan University Kaplan University (KU) was a private online for-profit university owned by Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company. It was predominantly a distance learning institution, maintaining 14 ground locations across the United States. T ...

in 2014. As of 2019, he held a position as a cell phone account manager at

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

Hip-hop career

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Vasquez performed as a hip-hop artist under the stage name Prime, a reference to the fictional character

Optimus Prime Optimus Prime, , is a fictional character in the ''Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were modified and the ...

. He first became involved in

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

during his time at Lane Tech High School in the early 1990s, and later became a member of the underground hip-hop collective Molemen. He also toured with the hip-hop group Atmosphere and appeared on MTV's ''

Direct Effect In European Union law, direct effect is the principle that Union law may, if appropriately framed, confer rights on individuals which the courts of member states of the European Union are bound to recognise and enforce. Direct effect is not e ...

'' and HBO's ''Blaze Battle''. He ended his career as a rapper in 2010. Vasquez's career as a rapper later became the subject of controversy during his 2019 campaign for Chicago City Council, when his opponent criticized him for using misogynistic and homophobic lyrics. Vasquez apologized for the lyrics, saying that "As a person who felt inadequate in my own skin, I thought denigrating others would make me feel bigger and there is no excuse for that."

Early political career

Vasquez became involved in electoral politics during the 2016 presidential election as a supporter of Bernie Sanders. As of 2019, he was the chair of the north side chapter of Reclaim Chicago, a progressive political action committee. In May 2018, Vasquez officially kicked off his campaign for alderman of Chicago's 40th ward. He was one of five candidates who appeared on the ballot in the first-round election on February 26, 2019, where he placed second with about 20 of the vote. Since no candidate received more than half of the vote, he and 36-year incumbent Patrick J. O'Connor advanced to a run-off election held on April 2. Vasquez defeated O'Connor in that election, receiving 54% of the vote. On April 10, 2019, Vasquez joined six other newly elected members of the City Council in protesting against the approval of

tax increment financing Tax increment financing (TIF) is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community-improvement projects in many countries, including the United States. The original intent of a TIF program is ...

for the Lincoln Yards and

The 78 The 78 is a development in Chicago that will consist of several office and residential towers, high-rises, and will also include a riverwalk. The name "The 78" refers to the existing 77 community areas in Chicago and the mega-development is to ...

real estate developments.

Chicago City Council (2019–present)

Vasquez was sworn in as a member of Chicago City Council on May 20, 2019. He is a member of the Council's

Progressive Caucus The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most left-leaning faction of the Democratic Party. " e Congressional Progressive Cauc ...

. In November 2019, Vasquez was one of eleven aldermen to vote against Mayor

Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving since 2019 as the 56th mayor of Chicago. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as ...

's first budget. He joined all five other members of the Socialist Caucus in signing a letter to Lightfoot which criticized her budget for "an over-reliance on property taxes" and "regressive funding models" that are "burdensome to our working-class citizens, while giving the wealthy and large corporations a pass." In November 2020, Vasquez voted in favor of the Mayor's 2021 budget proposal, which passed by a 29–21 vote. Vasquez said that his vote was based on achieving several concessions as amendments to the Mayor's original proposal and a commitment from colleagues to include progressive and structural revenue options in the 2022 budget proposal. Vasquez was censured by the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America who said in a statement that Vasquez had "sided with an austerity regime and the Democratic Party establishment over the interests of Chicago’s working class."

Other political involvement

Vasquez ran for 40th Ward Democratic Committeeperson in 2020, but lost to Maggie O'Keefe.

References