Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Loses Re-Election Bid

0:00

/0:00

1×

Facts

• Incumbent Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid on Tuesday, failing to make a top-two runoff in Chicago’s mayoral primary election. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will face off in the April runoff.¹
• Lightfoot finished third in Tuesday’s election with roughly 17% of the vote. Vallas, the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and Chicago Teachers Union organizer Johnson finished with approximately 34% and 20% of the vote respectively.²
• Two hours after the polls closed, Lightfoot spoke to supporters and conceded the race. Nine candidates were on the ballot, and since none surpassed the 50% threshold needed to win, the runoff will take place on April 4.³
• Lightfoot became the first elected mayor to lose a re-election race since Jane Byrne was defeated in the 1983 Democratic Primary. Lightfoot has become a lightning rod figure since becoming mayor in 2019, but Chicago’s persistent crime likely led to her political demise.⁴
• Lightfoot stated that her identity as a Black female played a role in her loss. When asked if she believed she was treated unfairly during the campaign process, Lightfoot responded, “I’m a Black woman in America. Of course.'⁵
• The two runoff candidates are making clear distinctions between themselves as Vallas runs as a conservative Democrat focused on tackling Chicago’s crime, while Johnson is a progressive who has attacked Vallas’ more conservative leanings.⁶

Sources: ¹CNN, ²Chicago sun, ³Politico, ⁴NBC, ⁵FOX News and ⁶Abc7 chicago.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by The chicago crusader. Unfortunately, America still hasn’t overcome its racist, sexist, and homophobic beliefs, and Lori Lightfoot had to pay the price for it. As an openly LGBTQ and Black female, she faced an uphill battle of systemic inequality. Racially-charged dog whistles about crime were later used during the campaign, and Lightfoot was unable to overcome the bias against her.
• Right narrative, as provided by Washington examiner. Lori Lightfoot lost re-election because she’s been a terrible mayor. It’s that simple. Lightfoot may try to play the victim and blame her identity for losing, but the fact is that she is an abrasive figure who did nothing to tackle the crime ravaging Chicago and costing a massive loss of life. Chicago deserved better, and luckily, they will get better.