Democrat Lori Lightfoot, the first female, black mayor of Chicago, Illinois, lost her re-election campaign on Tuesday.
Lightfoot ran against nine other candidates but failed to win one of two top slots to go on to the runoff election on April 4.
Former Chicago school superintendent Paul Vallas will face off against Cook County commissioner Brandy Johnson in the runoff election. Vallas was endorsed by the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and is considered a moderate, law-and-order candidate while Johnson ran as a progressive backed by the Chicago Teachers’ Union.
Many on the left celebrated Lightfoot as the first openly gay person to serve as Chicago mayor.
“Obviously we didn’t win the election today, but I stand here with my head held high,” said Lightfoot in defeat.
Recent polls showed that crime, especially carjackings and gun violence, had eroded support for Lightfoot among Chicagoans.
Lightfoot was also known for attacking and insulting members of the press who questioned her and challenged her decisions. In one famous exchange, she berated a reporter for asking her to walk back a tweet issuing a “call to arms” for people to oppose the Supreme Court Dobbs decision on abortion.
“You’re gonna let me speak, sir,” she screamed. “You’re not gonna talk over me; that’s not the rules here in this press conference, and if you don’t want to abide by those rules, you can take your nonsense some place else, because I am about full up with you!”
Here’s more about Lightfoot’s re-election failure:
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes in 2023 electionwww.youtube.com
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