(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson blew $30,000 in campaign donations on makeup and other beauty products during his mayoral run, the Daily Mail reported.
According to the Friends of Brandon Johnson campaign fund, most of the cash was sent to Denise Milloy, a makeup artist in Chicago.
Johnson, a radical Democrat, became mayor in 2023 after he defeated opponent Paul Vallas in a run-off election.
His campaign charged the makeup expenses under headings such as “candidate makeup for TV,” or “candidate makeup for debate.” Since taking office, Johnson’s lavish beauty costs have fallen simply under the heading, “campaign expenses.”
Bill Neidhardt, a campaign advisor for Johnson, said that the use of campaign funds spent on beauty products is actually a good thing, because he is being an anti-racist.
“He is using his own campaign funds to pay [b]lack- and women-owned businesses a fair wage in compensation for their work in preparing the mayor and individuals associated with the campaign for public appearances, events, media segments, and other availabilities,” Neidhardt wrote.
According to Neidhardt, it is important for Johnson to appear professional at all times, and this justifies his massive beauty bill.
“He’s mayor 24-7,” the advisor said. “Appearances matter.”
Though Johnson initially presented himself as a change away from corrupt ex-mayor Lori Lightfoot, claiming that he would clean up the city and make local government more transparent, it appears that they are more similar than it first seemed.
In the midst of the 2020 COVID lockdowns, for instance, Lightfoot closed down the city but continued to get luxury haircuts for herself.
“I am practicing social distancing,” Lightfoot claimed. “The woman who cut my hair had a mask and gloves on. So, I’m practicing what I’m preaching.”
She even used similar reasoning to Johnson’s, arguing that “as [an] elected official and the public face of the city, I need to make sure that I am out there and visible through this crisis.”
