The stakes in Chicago mayoral election primary were especially high for Black Chicagoans embattled by high crime rates, housing costs, wages, property tax, rent levels, education, policing, climate change, and civil rights issues. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot however, plagued by incessant criticism from detractors lost her bid for a second term. Lightfoot finished third in Tuesday’s election with 16.89 percent of the vote, behind former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas at 33.95 percent and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson with 20.32 percent.
Lori Lightfoot, who came to office on the heels of Rahm Emanuel, was the first Black woman and the first openly gay person ever to serve as mayor of Chicago. On Tuesday, her political legacy became that of a one-term mayor.
When Lightfoot announced her re=election campaign on June 8, 2022, she is quoted as saying, “I don’t look or sound like any other mayor we’ve ever had before, and I’ve had to fight to get a seat at the table. And, like so many in our city, I’ve had to fight to have my voice heard,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “That’s why I’ll never back down from fighting every day to turn your voice into action.
“When we got knocked down by COVID, we came together as a city and we got right back up. Because that’s who we are – and that’s how we’ve been able to make so much progress, despite all that’s been thrown at us.
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