Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Lori Lightfoot Loses Chicago Mayoral Race

Date:

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has failed to qualify for the runoff election in her bid for a second term, becoming the first Chicago mayor to lose re-election since 1983. Lightfoot, who made history four years ago as the first Black woman and openly gay person to lead the city of 2.7 million people, came in third in the mayoral election on Tuesday behind Paul Vallas, a former schools CEO, and Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner.

Lightfoot’s loss signals growing discontent in US cities where crime rates rose and housing became more expensive amid growing economic hardship and inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic. Vallas and Johnson will face off in a runoff election in April, as none of the candidates cleared 50 percent of the votes in a crowded field of contenders on Tuesday.

Lightfoot had promised to put an end to corruption and backroom dealing in local politics, but her tenure was marred by mounting challenges that faced other major cities as well. Crime rates, already an issue in Chicago, went up during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the city seeing 804 homicides in 2021, compared to 500 in 2019, according to police data.

Lightfoot had clashed with the police union and teachers’ union in her handling of the pandemic, sparking criticism from both conservatives and progressives. Vallas was supported by the police union and Johnson was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union. Vallas had made public safety a focal point of his campaign, while Johnson has vowed to pursue a different approach to public safety by investing in social programmes, youth employment and mental health clinics to prevent crime.

Lightfoot expressed her gratitude for those who had stood by her in her four-year tenure as mayor. “Regardless of tonight’s outcome, we fought the right fights and we put this city on a better path,” she said on Tuesday. Asked if she was treated unfairly because of her race and gender, Lightfoot said: “I’m a Black woman in America. Of course.”

Right-wing politicians often cite gun violence in Chicago – a Democratic stronghold – as a symbol of what they see as the failure of liberal policies. Although both Vallas and Johnson identify as Democrats and the race is non-partisan, many Republicans celebrated Lightfoot’s loss on Tuesday.

The mayoral election results have highlighted the deep divisions between conservatives and progressives over how to tackle crime in Chicago. While Vallas has promised to make Chicago “the safest city in America”, Johnson has pledged to invest in community-based interventions that de-escalate conflict and reduce violence. The runoff election in April will determine which approach will be taken to address crime in the third largest US city.

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