Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes

Source: Politico | February 28, 2023 | Shia Kapos and Olivia Olander

Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson are two runoff competitors who could hardly be more different among Lightfoot’s leading challengers.

CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot conceded defeat in a stunning election Tuesday after failing to qualify for the city’s spring runoff.

Former public school chief Paul Vallas and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson are the top vote-getters who now head into an April 4 runoff that will likely be fraught with racial tensions and divisiveness.

Chicagoans haven’t ousted an elected mayor in 40 years, when Jane Byrne, Chicago’s first female mayor, was defeated in the 1983 Democratic primary. Lightfoot, a Democrat who was first elected in 2019 and led the city through the Covid-19 pandemic, drew scrutiny from voters and the eight challengers in the race for her handling of the city’s crime.

“I’ve called Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas to congratulate them on their victories in advancing,” Lightfoot told supporters at the Carpenter’s Local 1 Hall. “We were fierce competitors. … But I will be reading and praying for our next mayor to deliver for the people for years to come.”

Two runoff competitors could hardly be more different among Lightfoot’s leading challengers.

Vallas ran to the right of Lightfoot and has focused primarily on public safety. He won the endorsement of Chicago’s conservative Fraternal Order of Police and faced accusations from his rivals of being a Republican despite declaring himself a Democrat.

And although Johnson, a progressive with the backing of the Chicago Teachers Union, doesn’t use “defund the police” rhetoric, he has argued for police resources to be redirected to the city’s social service agencies.

None of the nine candidates on the ballot came close to securing the 50 percent needed to win the nonpartisan election outright Tuesday.

……..

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.