Lori Lightfoot, the 56th mayor of Chicago, made significant history after winning the spot office in 2019 via a run-off election. On Tuesday (Feb. 28), Mayor Lightfoot failed to win the Democratic Primary vote, and now the race heads for a run-off in April.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Lori Lightfoot, 60, came in third behind challengers in former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, who won 33.77 percent of the vote, and Cook County Commissioner and Chicago Teachers Union organizer Brandon Johnson, who wound up with 20.29 percent. Lightfoot tallied 17.06 percent of the vote.
As noted in local outlet WBEZ’s report, Lightfoot fell out of favor with some of the voting public on issues such as crime, but her time in office did have some notable successes. However, some of Lightfoot’s maneuvers, in particular, the disturbing Anjanette Young case, further sunk her approval among activists and others in the city.
The success of Vallas seems centered on his pledge to bring crime down in Chicago, which has been ravaged by gang violence and the like during Lightfoot’s tenure as mayor. Johnson, who is Black, said in statements that his goal is to bring financial viability back to the city.
Vallas and Johnson will face off against one another on April 4.
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Photo: Getty
