CHICAGO – Lori Lightfoot lost her bid for a second term as Chicago mayor Tuesday in the nation’s third-largest city after facing widespread criticism over her divisive leadership and the city’s increase in crime.
Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will advance to the April 4 runoff to be the next mayor of Chicago after none of the nine candidates won a majority in the officially nonpartisan election.
Lightfoot, who made history in 2019 when she became the city’s first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve as mayor, fell in popularity after Chicago saw a spike in crime following the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then, opponents have blamed her for the increase in crime and criticized her as being a divisive, overly contentious leader. She’s also received criticism for her handling of an 11-day teachers’ strike, the COVID-19 pandemic, and protests in the summer of 2020.
