Lori Lightfoot: First Chicago Mayor in 40 Years to Lose Reelection

By Ophelia Garrett

In Brief:

Lori Lightfoot has been outed as Chicago’s mayor. In a crushing defeat that saw her cut before the runoff, Lori Lightfoot is the first sitting Chicago mayor to fail in their reelection bid in 40 years. 

The Background: 

Lightfoot was lauded by the Left upon election, not for any great accomplishment, but simply because of her color, gender, and to whom she is married. Which, to me, sounds like an awful way to judge a person. Judging someone not on any merit, but simply on their color and gender sounds sexist and racist if you ask me. 

However, the excitement in the city was short-lived as COVID hit, and Lightfoot became known for her dictatorship and “my way or the highway” approach, alienating her from even the staunchest followers. 

Shortly afterward came the riots following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. From there, Chicago became a laughing stock on the ever-rising level of violent crimes committed in broad daylight. 

The Chicago Tribune said:

“Lightfoot campaigned for mayor in 2019 by arguing crime was too high, saying she wanted to make Chicago the ‘safest big city in the country.’ But homicides, mostly from gun violence, spiked dramatically in 2020 and 2021 from 500 murders in 2019 to 776 and 804 in the next two years, respectively. Shootings and carjackings also skyrocketed.”  

Notable Quotes: 

“Coming out of the gate at inauguration, she tried to embarrass the entire City Council as being this corrupt body, and she was here to save the day. But it turns out she was the least transparent, least productive, least cooperative administration I have ever seen in my life.” – Chicago City Alderman Anthony Beale