The outcome was a crushing loss, which was a reflection of the people' broad displeasure with how she handled the criminal justice system. Candidates on both her political left and right made it to the runoff election stage.
CHICAGO — On Tuesday, the incumbent mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, was soundly defeated in her attempt for a second term. Her resounding loss was a reflection of broad voter discontent with her performance as mayor over her management of crime and police in the nation's third-largest city.
Ms. Lightfoot made history when she became the first Black woman to be elected mayor of Chicago four years ago. She did this by winning every single one of the city's fifty wards. However her popularity fell after the pandemic caused by the coronavirus, which occurred at the same time as Chicago had an increase in violent crime, including looting and damage on its famous Magnificent Mile in the year 2020.
According to the Associated Press, Paul Vallas, a former public schools leader, and Brandon Johnson, a county board commissioner, were the two candidates who emerged victorious from Tuesday's first round of voting to progress to an April 4 runoff. The runoff will take place on April 4.
In a speech of concession late on Tuesday night, Ms. Lightfoot, who is the first incumbent mayor in Chicago since 1989 to lose re-election, said that she "will be rooting and hoping for our next mayor to deliver for the people of this city for years to come."
Ms. Lightfoot expressed her thankfulness by saying, "I stand here with my head held high and a heart full of gratitude."
As of the evening of Tuesday, November 6, an estimated 94 percent of votes had been tallied, and Mr. Vallas had won 34 percent of the vote, while Mr. Johnson had won 20 percent.
The contest brought to light the political split that has developed in some of the biggest and most liberal cities in the United States, where people are increasingly responding favorably to policies that are tough on crime. Ms. Lightfoot, a native of Ohio who had never held public office prior to becoming mayor, highlighted the peculiarly Chicagoan hazard of governing the city without any natural base or ward to call on for loyal support in challenging times.
The race for mayor is now down to only two candidates, each of whom has strikingly divergent views on how police and education should be handled. Ms. Lightfoot's tenure as mayor has been described by Mr. Vallas as having ushered in a period of upheaval in Chicago. He has ran an aggressive campaign, stating that he can make the city safer, asking for expanding charter schools, improving arrest rates for severe crimes, and increasing the size of the police department, all of which have received endorsements from the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.
After casting his vote on Tuesday in a primary school gymnasium on the South Side, Mr. Vallas said that "the city is plainly in crisis and the people want a crisis manager who can come in and concentrate on getting things done."
Mr. Johnson, 46, an educator who was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, staked out a position to the left of Ms. Lightfoot. At one point during the campaign, Mr. Johnson suggested that he agreed with the movement to reduce funding to police departments; however, he later backtracked on this position. Ms. Lightfoot is currently the front-runner in the race for mayor of Chicago.
At a polling site on Tuesday, Serena Mascio, 40, said that she relocated to the city of Chicago from the suburbs in 2017 and was casting her first vote for mayor in the city.
She explained her decision to vote by saying, "I'm voting for Brandon Johnson because instead of more cops, he's focusing on more mental health issues." "He adds a unique point of view to the table."
Ms. Lightfoot, whose win four years ago also made her the first openly lesbian person to govern Chicago, was challenged on the campaign trail by citizens who were unsatisfied with her handling of crime, an issue that loomed larger than any other topic that was discussed throughout the campaign.
Mr. Johnson, one of seven Black candidates, was successful in winning over many political progressives, while Mr. Vallas was successful in consolidating support in communities that are more conservative. Mr. Vallas was the sole white contender in the campaign; the number of black inhabitants, white residents, and Hispanic people in Chicago is almost equal.
Even though it was obvious that her popularity was declining in the days leading up to the election, Ms. Lightfoot never gave up hope that she would make it into the runoff. She assured voters that the rate of violent crime was on the down, and that the number of killings and shootings had actually fallen by 2022 from their highest point during the epidemic. Yet, in 2022 there was an increase from the previous year in the number of robberies, thefts, and burglaries. This caused many residents of Chicago to feel uneasy about the future of their city.
On Tuesday, while in the Beverly neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Megan Hayes, a mother of 40 years who has lived in the city her whole life, said that the most significant problem the city is now experiencing is crime. She added that she was dissatisfied with Ms. Lightfoot's performance as mayor, despite the fact that she voted for Ms. Lightfoot in the most recent election.
She said, "I don't believe she did a very good job of managing the city."
Ms. Hayes was one of the people who voted for Mr. Vallas, but she did so despite her reservations about supporting him. She stated, "I'm not a major Vallas admirer, but he appears to be the best of the bunch." "He seems to be the best of the lot," she continued.
Ms. Lightfoot had argued that the city had emerged from the epidemic in a good position by pointing to investments that had been made in communities that had been neglected for a long time.
On Tuesday, she visited residents of Chicago outside of a grocery store and a sandwich restaurant on the West Side. She told the residents that she had been receiving feedback from people who were "afraid" of Mr. Vallas and the opinions he has.
Tina Marie, a resident of the West Side, had just done her grocery shopping when she saw Ms. Lightfoot and remarked that she was pleased by the mayor's leadership throughout the epidemic.
Ms. Marie, a former employee of a department shop who is now retired, said that "When the pandemic came out, she and the governor shut down Chicago." She said that it was "impossible to say where we would be if they hadn't shut down Chicago."
No matter who was elected mayor of Chicago, according to Lindsay Ramirez, a 47-year-old medical worker and Lightfoot supporter who lives on the South Side, the city would continue to struggle with a high rate of violent and property crime.
She said that there was not much that could be done about the abundance of firearms in the area. "You'd have to have the powers of Superman to figure it out."
Yet, a significant number of voters said that they were not prepared to give Ms. Lightfoot a second opportunity. Even when compared to their counterparts in New York City and Los Angeles, the mayors of Chicago have extensive authority, since they are in charge of the enormous public transportation system, the Police and Fire Departments, as well as schools, parks, and other organizations. Yet when there is an increase in crime or when potholes are not put up, Chicago residents have a tendency to blame their mayor.
Since entering office, Ms. Lightfoot, who is 60 years old, has been confronted with a string of problems that go beyond matters of public safety. In 2019, she engaged in contentious negotiations with the influential teachers' union, which ultimately led to an 11-day strike—the longest in decades. The epidemic struck in 2020, driving unemployment rates skyrocketing and leaving skyscrapers in the Loop largely devoid of employees as Chicago firms struggled to stay afloat in the wake of the economic fallout.
Since then, the economy has improved, and the downtown area of Chicago is once again luring visitors and hosting conferences. Nonetheless, it seemed as if Ms. Lightfoot made more enemies than friends during her time as mayor. She had a difficult time garnering support from the City Council and earned a reputation as a combative and capricious chief executive.
The 69-year-old Mr. Vallas enters the next round of the election as the clear front-runner, despite the fact that he has been plagued by ideological contradictions at various points in the campaign. In an interview given to a television station in 2009, he said that he saw himself as more of a Republican than a Democrat. This was a strike against Mr. Vallas in the eyes of many people in Chicago, which has a population that is mainly leftist. The Chicago Tribune revealed a week earlier that Mr. Vallas's Twitter account had liked a series of messages that included offensive and racial language. Mr. Vallas stated that hackers were to blame for the breach in his account security.
Congressman Jess G. Garca, a well-known personality in Chicago, conducted a lackluster campaign that was unable to get a significant amount of support among progressives. He was unsuccessful in his bid.
Even as they got closer to the polls on Tuesday, there were still voters who weren't sure who they were going to support. Nevertheless, these people were certain about one thing: they weren't going to vote for Ms. Lightfoot.
Jimmy Cooks, who is 66 years old and voted for her in the most recent election, said that he would not do so again due to what he saw to be her unstable management of the epidemic as well as crime.
Former Comcast contractor Mr. Cooks, who is now retired, said that he did not support seasoned politicians such as Ms. Lightfoot, Mr. Vallas, and Mr. Garca.
He said, "We need fresh blood, new ideas," and went on to say that he "likes the appearance" of Mr. Johnson. "We need new blood, new ideas," he remarked.
"Whoever wins is going to have a tough task," he stated. "The job is going to be difficult."