As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, the race was still close to call. Both candidates say they feel confident they will prevail in the end, but there may not be a winner until mail-in ballots can be counted.
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"Hopefully there will be a resolution tonight, because we had enough overtime," challenger CB Johnson said. "But let me tell you, I'm an old ball player - I played baseball for many years - anytime you went to extra innings, you work, you win. And we did the work."
"I won't be comfortable until the 18th, that's when all the mail-in ballots will be counted," Taliaferro said. "As of right now, the race is very close and it's a virtual tie."
Johnson's campaign said Tuesday night they believe there may be over 700 outstanding mail-in ballots that have not yet been returned and will be counted in the coming days.
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Taliaferro, 57, a former Chicago police officer who served in the U.S. Marines, almost avoided a runoff. He missed the 50% mark on February 28 by a few dozen votes.
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His opponent, 62-year-old CB Johnson, is a longtime community organizer who has led a drug recovery non-profit. Both candidates agree reducing crime is a top priority, and both want to see more investment in mental health and drug treatment programs.
But Johnson, who is supported by Congressman Danny Davis, has accused the incumbent of being absent in the ward and criticized Taliaferro's recent failed bid for Cook County Circuit Court Judge.
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"The current alderman has always been missing," Johnson said. "We might as well put him on a milk carton because nobody seems to know who he is. Nobody seems to be able to figure out what has he done."
"My opponent is running for alderman. Does that say he's less committed to the business that he serves or that he has?" Taliaferro said. "Even his most staunch supporter, Congressman Davis, ran for mayor and congressman and was unsuccessful, but it didn't mean he was less committed to the people in the area that he served at the time."
Taliaferro is the chair of the powerful Chicago City Council Public Safety Committee. He endorsed Brandon Johnson for mayor, but said whoever wins, he's confident if he wins a third aldermanic term that he'll remain the chair of that all-important committee.