By Illinois Review
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot became the first mayor since 1983 to lose re-election, coming in third place behind Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, who led the pack with over 34 percent of the vote.
Crime was the number one issue in the race, and defined Lightfoot’s tenure as Mayor – with violent crime skyrocketing under her leadership. In 2021, Chicago saw the deadliest year in over 25 years with nearly 800 homicides.
In her concession speech, a visibly emotional Lightfoot said,
“Obviously we didn’t win the election today, but I stand here with my head held high.”
Lightfoot remained a divisive figure, attacking both Republicans and Democrats – earning her few friends and allies even within her own party.
The Chicago Republican Party failed to identify a candidate for mayor, with Chicago GOP chairman Stephen Boulton publishing an embarassing admission in a Chicago Tribune opinion piece, writing,
“The Chicago Republican Party did not have the extensive financial resources required to fund a Republican candidate for mayor…”
The race between Vallas and Johnson is expected to be an intense battle, with Johnson going on the attack during his election night speech – previewing his campaign against Vallas.
Johnson was supported by the Chicago Teachers Union, while Vallas has come under fire from some of his fellow Democrats for accepting the endorsement of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police.
The runoff is April 4th.
Historians may someday rank Lightfoot as the single worst mayor in Chicago and that is a damning indictment. She permitted arsonists, looters, murderers, carjackers, rioters and thieves to have free reign in Chicago while endorsing Kim Foxx for State’s Attorney. Lightfoot spent her entire term blaming others for her own failures. Her hostility to the police was her downfall. After four years of chaos, she had virtually no political allies. Good riddance to bad rubbish.