Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, on Tuesday, lost her bid for a second term, a defeat that reflected dissatisfaction among voters over her handling of crime and policing.
Four years ago Lightfoot made history when she became the first Black, openly gay woman to be elected mayor of the city-- she swept all of the city's 50 wards.
Her popularity took a plunge during the Covid-19 pandemic as Chicago suffered a spike in violent crime, with looting and destruction on its famed Magnificent Mile in 2020, the New York Times reported. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will meet in a run-off to be the next mayor of Chicago an AP report reads. Vallas is a former school CEO and Johnson is a Cook County commissioner. The run-off would take place on April 4.
Lightfoot won the mayoral seat in 2019 on the promise of ending corruption and backroom dealing at City Hall. Opponents have accused her of the increase in crime in the city during the pandemic. She is the first elected Chicago mayor to lose a re-election bid since 1983.
“I stand here with my head held high and a heart full of gratitude,” Lightfoot told the New York Times.“Regardless of tonight’s outcome, we fought the right fights and we put this city on a better path,” she added.
