Lori Lightfoot

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot failed to clinch a second term as the city's mayor after voters denied the incumbent a chance to lead Illinois' capital.

He also thanked his wife for her support, stating that if he wins, “a Black woman will still be in charge.” But critics say [crime has skyrocketed](https://apnews.com/article/politics-2022-midterm-elections-lori-lightfoot-chicago-1441bca5446f2eb30cd9dfe377f85fff) since assuming the post and has been critiqued for being “a divisive, overly contentious leader,” according to an [Associated Press report](https://apnews.com/article/chicago-mayor-election-2023-73b7ffa6da2ad2f301674c5c23e08560?utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter). In 2019, she won her first term and vowed to end years of corruption in the city’s political arena.

Lightfoot fails to qualify for runoff in mayoral race, where crime in the third largest US city was a top concern.

Confronting the city’s crime problem and ensuring our residents’ safety is my top priority,” his campaign website reads. Asked if she was treated unfairly because of her race and gender, Lightfoot said: “I’m a Black woman in America. The opponents who bested her on Tuesday were respectively backed by the two unions. Nearly 700 people were killed in the city last year, a decline from 2021 but still well above pre-pandemic levels. As none of the candidates cleared 50 percent of the votes in a crowded field of contenders on Tuesday, Vallas and Johnson will face off in a runoff election in April. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has lost her bid to lead the United States’ third-largest city for a second term after failing to qualify for the runoff election in a race where public safety

Voters have sent conservative Democrat Paul Vallas and progressive Brandon Johnson to an April run-off, kicking sitting-mayor Lightfoot out of the running ...

“We will make Chicago the safest city in America,” Vallas [said](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/28/paul-vallas-chicago-mayoral-runoff-00084904) in a primary victory speech Tuesday. But support [fizzled through 2021](https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/new-poll-chicago-residents-concerns-over-violent-crime-growing/), amid a spike in violent crime, and continued to [plummet](https://theharrispoll.com/briefs/chicago-mayoral-election/) through 2022, despite improvements in [some public safety metrics](https://news.wttw.com/2023/01/04/chicago-homicides-declined-2022-total-still-among-highest-90s) that she cited during her reelection campaign in an effort to combat attacks from her opponents. [reported](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/paul-vallas-chicago-mayoral-election) earlier this week, those attacks proved especially potent for Vallas, a former Chicago Public Schools CEO who has run on a conservative, “tough-on-crime” platform that echoes Eric Adams’ winning bid for New York mayor a little more than a year ago. It’s unclear if Lightfoot herself will make an endorsement or which of her two rivals she’d back, but on Tuesday she called each to congratulate them on making the runoff, and Where her middle ultimately goes could be as potent a symbol for national attitudes on issues of public safety as her loss itself. Meanwhile, Johnson, who took about 20 percent of Tuesday’s vote, would get to about 40, if voters from the race’s other more progressive candidates—United States Congressman Chuy Garcia, 27-year-old activist Ja’Mal Green, State Representative Kam Buckner, and Alds. [The American West](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/new-right-civil-war?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-022723) Though Lightfoot certainly faced criticism for her handling of COVID and the 2020 racial justice protests—including the city’s “It’s been the honor of a lifetime to be mayor,” Lightfoot “Obviously, we didn’t win the election today," she added, "but I stand here with my head held high and a heart full of gratitude.” Lightfoot, who had never held elected office until then, had not only vowed to usher in police reform in a city still reeling from the murder of Laquan McDonald and the handling of it by her predecessor; she'd promised to “remake” the city’s infamous machine-style politics. “I really hope that Lori can be the light for this city,” one supporter

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot conceded election defeat on Tuesday, February 28, ending her efforts to serve a second term; she was the first elected Chicago ...

Lightfoot also said she called Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas “to congratulate them on their victories in advancing to the runoffs.” According to the Associated Press, mayoral candidates Vallas, a former schools CEO, and Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, advanced to a runoff election, to be held on April 4. Lightfoot said she would be “rooting and praying for our next mayor to deliver for the people of the city for years to come” in her concession speech on February 28. “You will not be defined by how you fall, you will be defined by how hard you work and how much you do good for other people,” Lightfoot added.

Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson will run against former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas for mayor. The final matchup was a stunning blow to ...

Johnson, 46, regularly paints Vallas’ approach to public education as “morally bankrupt” for its promotion of private school vouchers and expansion of charters across the country. “Chicago, we cannot have this man as the mayor of the city of Chicago.” Johnson, meanwhile, decried the city’s reliance on policing as a “failed” strategy and instead promised a new citywide strategy that would shift focus toward community investments in housing, mental health and more. But Wilson said “one thing I’m proud to say here tonight” was word that Lightfoot has conceded the race. “So, that’s a blessing to Chicago.” The businessman campaigned vigorously with Lightfoot in 2019 but their relationship fell apart before she even took office, spurring his run and potentially siphoning votes from the reelection seeking mayor. “This is the truth about Paul Vallas: He has literally failed everywhere he has gone. Kambium “Kam” Buckner, Ald. called the race for Johnson, who in addition to defeating Lightfoot also outmuscled U.S. The two will face off in five weeks on April 4. Well, here’s Harold!” line Harold Washington uttered when he was elected Chicago’s first Black mayor in 1983. A visibly shaken Lightfoot conceded the race just before 9 p.m.

Incumbent mayors in Chicago almost never lose a reelection bid. But Lori Lightfoot ran into an issue that's plaguing Democrats across the country.

And congressional Democrats are responding with scrutiny on local crime policy after facing a flurry of attacks from Republicans during the midterms for their [supposed weakness on crime](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23433184/crime-midterms-oz-fetterman-pennsylvania-senate). Also not helping Lightfoot’s case was the fact that particularly visible property crimes, like burglaries and theft, did increase last year ( [as they have in other cities](https://counciloncj.org/mid-year-2022-crime-trends/)). In New York, it led to the election of Eric Adams as mayor, who pledged to make crime his top priority. Johnson is [running as a progressive](https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/639580998-all-but-one-mayoral-candidate-wants-to-continue-community-policing-vallas-would-hire-nearly-2-000-more-cops) hoping to attack root causes for crime: Instead of cuts to police budgets, he calls for better mental health treatment and schools, addressing poverty, and training new detectives to solve homicides and find illegal guns. Back then, she had pledged to clean up the city’s [ political machine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVo9raTWeNE), reduce violence across the city, and invest in Black and brown neighborhoods. [property crimes have risen](https://home.chicagopolice.org/wp-content/uploads/1_PDFsam_CompStat-Public-2023-Week-9.pdf) over the last four years. A progressive challenger, Cook County commissioner Brandon Johnson, came in second, with support concentrated in the city’s racially diverse and mixed north and northwest neighborhoods, where he spoke about crime in a more nuanced way. Crime rates rose during the pandemic and have since moderated a bit, but some visible kinds of crime have continued to test Democrats politically. [crime surged during the outbreak](https://apnews.com/article/politics-2022-midterm-elections-lori-lightfoot-chicago-1441bca5446f2eb30cd9dfe377f85fff), reaching levels not seen in the city since the 1990s. Because of this, and because of Lightfoot’s poor relationship with other political leaders, she was viewed as the underdog, just like in her last race. The coronavirus pandemic dealt a huge economic hit to the city, and violent She made it again last night, becoming the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose a reelection bid.

CHICAGO—Lori Lightfoot, weighed down by fights with the powerful teachers and police unions and a pandemic surge in crime, couldn't make a runoff election ...

[the top two vote-getters ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/chicago-mayoral-election-pits-paul-vallas-against-brandon-johnson-dab37fc8?mod=article_inline)and will face off in the April 4 runoff. [15% off American Eagle promo code](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/american-eagle-outfitters) Jesús “Chuy” Garcia came in fourth in the field of nine.

David O. Brown, the superintendent, said he had accepted a job as chief operating officer of a personal injury law firm in Texas.

Superintendent Brown, a former chief of the Dallas Police Department, was hired by Ms. Lightfoot praised the superintendent for his department’s work in recovering illegal guns and reducing violent crime and for recruiting 950 new hires to the department in 2022. Under Superintendent Brown, homicides in Chicago soared to generational highs. May the good Lord bless the city of Chicago and the men and women who serve and protect this great city.” Lightfoot lost her bid for a second term in office on Tuesday, the swift departure of her handpicked police superintendent was all but assured. Both of the mayoral candidates who advanced to an April 4 runoff, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson, had said that they intended to fire Mr.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot pauses during her concession speech as her spouse Amy Eshleman applauds on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, in Chicago. Charles Rex ...

Chicago is a diverse, overwhelmingly blue city, with 83% of the electorate backing the Democratic ticket in the 2020 presidential election. It was the latest ugly chapter in years-long tension between police and Lightfoot’s administration as she sought to rein in overtime spending. A 2019 fight with the Chicago Teachers Union over pay and class size as Lightfoot sought to curb spending led to an 11-day strike. She trounced Toni Preckwinkle, the Cook County board president and a long-time Chicago political mainstay, in the runoff as voters sought change. Karen Bass defeated Rick Caruso, a billionaire developer who had pumped more than $100 million into a campaign focused on law and order. Chicago is now the third major city in recent years with a mayoral election that will test attitudes – among a heavily Democratic electorate – toward crime and policing. And though shootings and murders have decreased since then, other crimes – including theft, car-jacking, robberies and burglaries – have increased since last year, according to the Chicago Police Department’s She is the first full-term incumbent Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose reelection. The city’s slow economic recovery from the pandemic is also connected to crime. “Crime becomes pervasive in peoples’ psyche, and it affects us. The outcome especially underscored the electorate’s focus on public safety. [teachers’ unions](https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/12/us/chicago-students-return-to-school/index.html), while developing frosty relationships with city aldermen and Illinois’ Democratic governor – leaving her with few influential allies.

Chicago's police chief announced his resignation one day after Lori Lightfoot became the first mayor of the third-largest US city to lose a reelection bid ...

The head of the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois announced their resignations Wednesday.

May the Good Lord bless the city of Chicago and the men and women who serve and protect this great city." "It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside the brave men and women of the Chicago Police Department," Brown said. During his tenure, Lausch focused on prosecuting in the areas of violent crime, public corruption, national security, financial fraud and drug trafficking. Attorney’s Office in Chicago," Lausch said. Brown informed Lightfoot of the decision on Wednesday, Lightfoot said. In a statement, Brown said he accepted a job as Chief Operating Officer of Loncar Lyon Jenkins, a personal injury law firm with seven offices in Texas. None of the nine candidates won a majority in the officially nonpartisan election. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois announced their resignations Wednesday, hours after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot In a statement, mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson said: "The next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department must be as fully committed to the health and safety of all Chicagoans as I am, and to immediately meeting all requirements of the federal consent decree while addressing the root causes of crime." [height of the COVID-19 pandemic](https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2021/02/12/data-analysis-chicago-vaccine-rollout-reflects-us-racial-disparities/4418978001/) and [protests](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/01/george-floyd-protests-police-chicago-dc-los-angeles-philadelphia/5313132002/) in the wake of the [murder of George Floyd](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/04/20/derek-chauvin-jury-reaches-verdict-george-floyd-death-live-updates/7298158002/). CHICAGO – The head of the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. [newly formed civilian police oversight body](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/02/28/chicago-mayoral-election-tuesday/11322996002/) – the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability – to immediately begin the search for a new superintendent.

Are Black mayors too quickly and easily blamed for rising crime?

The Mississippi House recently passed a bill that would create a separate court system and an expanded police force in the city of Jackson, one of the blackest cities in America. On one level, the results of Tuesday’s election speak to how potent the issue of crime can be and how it can be used as a scare tactic. But feelings on issues of politics, crime and race also tap into our biases, both conscious and subconscious. It is that division, in her view, fomented by candidates who see politics in the city as a zero-sum game, that provided Vallas with an opening to win over the city’s white citizens. Crime often comes in waves, but a question lingers about how people, even liberals, respond when a crest arrives under Black leadership: Are Black mayors too quickly and easily blamed for rising crime, and if so, why? If all politics is local, crime and safety are the most local. Vallas had run a tough-on-crime, law-and-order campaign in which he told one crowd that his “whole campaign is about taking back our city, pure and simple.” You’ve got the only white candidate in the race who’s acting like he’s going to be a great white savior on public safety.” Of the four, Lightfoot would be one of the first to face voters and test the fallout. I’d come because Lightfoot belongs to a group of recently elected Black mayors of major American cities, including Eric Adams in New York, Sylvester Turner in Houston and Karen Bass in Los Angeles. Each of these four mayors was elected or re-elected around the height of two seismic cultural phenomena — Black Lives Matter and the pandemic. During our nearly hourlong interview, she choked up and fought back tears when discussing the sacrifices her parents had made for her and her siblings.

It was a stunning rebuke. On Tuesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago, the first Black woman and first openly LGBTQ person to lead the city, ...

The Mississippi House recently passed a bill that would create a separate court system and an expanded police force in the city of Jackson, one of the blackest cities in America. On one level, the results of Tuesday’s election speak to how potent the issue of crime can be and how it can be used as a scare tactic. It is that division, in her view, fomented by candidates who see politics in the city as a zero-sum game, that provided Vallas with an opening to win over the city’s white citizens. You’ve got the only white candidate in the race who’s acting like he’s going to be a great white savior on public safety.” Of the four, Lightfoot would be one of the first to face voters and test the fallout. Each of these four mayors was elected or re-elected around the height of two seismic cultural phenomena: Black Lives Matter and the pandemic.