Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) is on her way out after failing to crack 50% in the city’s mayoral election.
On Tuesday, Lightfoot became the first mayor in over 30 years to lose a reelection bid.
Nine candidates in total were vying to be mayor of the nation’s third-largest city.
Paul Vallas, who ran on a tough-on-crime message, and Cook County commissioner Brandon Johnson, who received the support of progressives and the Chicago Teachers Union, will move on to the run-off election in April as neither received 50% of the vote.
Lightfoot came in third place.
The mayor conceded her election bid on Tuesday night and said she was “rooting and praying for the next mayor of Chicago.”
“Regardless of tonight’s outcome, we fought the right fights, and we put this city on a better path,” she added.
Lightfoot made history when she was elected four years ago as the first Black woman and openly gay person to lead the city.
However, she faced criticism over the city’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and rising crime rates.
Lightfoot became a frequent target of conservatives’ anger during her tenure.
Last month, she was accused of being “tone-deaf” after a video showed her dancing during a parade as conservatives noted the crime rate.
After a draft opinion of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, Lightfoot tweeted, “To my friends in the LGBTQ+ community—the Supreme Court is coming for us next.”
“This moment has to be a call to arms,” she added.
We will not surrender our rights without a fight—a fight to victory!
— Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) May 10, 2022
In June, she lashed out at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for suggesting the overturning of Roe could pave the way for overturning the decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
LORI LIGHTFOOT: "F*ck Clarence Thomas"pic.twitter.com/Pq5yTMxaIZ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 27, 2022
“If you read Clarence Thomas’ concurrence…” the mayor began before someone in the crowd shouted something. “F— Clarence Thomas. He thinks that we are going to stand idly by while they take our rights – our right to marry – our right to have children – our right to live.”
