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Beleaguered Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid after failing to curb Chicago’s rising crime rate
Lightfoot, the first black woman and openly gay mayor of the Windy City, is now the first Chicgao mayor in 40 years to lose re-election after falling behind in third place with just 16.4 percent of the vote as of Tuesday. at night.
He faced a tough race against eight candidates, including Paul Vallas, the former CEO and budget director of the Chicago Public Schools, who has so far garnered 35 percent of the vote.
Brandon Johnson, a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, is currently in second place and will join Vallas in the runoff election scheduled for April 4.
Throughout her tenure, Lightfoot has been criticized for her soft approach to crime, which has led to a massive increase in violence in the city, which is up 52 percent from last year.
Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid over criticism of her soft approach to crime amid a steady rise in violence.
Paul Vallas (left) and Brandon Johnson (right) are headed to the runoff elections in April.
Chicago residents made their decision Tuesday, with Lightfoot only garnering 16.4 percent of the vote, less than half the leading candidate.
With 84 percent of the vote, Vallas clinched his spot in the runoff election with nearly 160,000 votes so far, and Johnson has garnered more than 92,000 votes.
Johnson was able to beat Lightfoot, who fell behind with fewer than 75,000 votes.
Speaking to his supporters on Tuesday night, Lightfoot said:
‘Obviously, we didn’t win the elections. But I am here with my head held high and my heart full of gratitude.
‘You will not be defined by how you fall. You will be defined by how hard you work and how much you do for other people,” he added.
Lightfoot faced intense backlash after he joined calls by Democratic mayors in 2021 to cut the budget for police departments, a move that also resulted in officers leaving the force and a rise in violent crime. .
The embattled mayor then vowed to do a U-turn, opting instead to ‘reimburse the police’ and hire more officers, but the move has done little to curb crime.
According to the latest report from the Chicago Police Department, rapes have skyrocketed 16 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2022.
Robberies were also up 13 percent, with aggravated assault and robbery both up 11 percent.
Theft in the Windy City increased 31 percent, and vehicle thefts, specifically, shot up 143 percent.
Homicide and shooting incidents were the only category to see declines, falling 18 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
While violent crime overall is up 52 percent from the same period last year, it’s up 102 percent compared to 2021.
Ultimately, there was a 59 percent increase in citywide murders when comparing week 9 of 2023 to the same period four years ago, which is just as Lightfoot was headed for a runoff with Toni Preckwinkle.
The four-year turnaround also shows a 27 percent increase in burglaries, a 31 percent increase in burglaries, and a massive 270 percent increase in the number of motor vehicle thefts.
Lightfoot made history as the first black and openly gay woman to serve as mayor of Chicago. However, she has come under immense fire for her soft approach to crime and her war with the teachers in the city.
As crime continued to rise during the final year of her tenure, Lightfoot was heavily criticized for promoting issues other than public safety, including a citywide karaoke contest and dancing in the street during a festival.
In addition to rising crime, Lightfoot has overseen vacancy rates of nearly 30 percent after Magnificent Mile flagship stores closed their doors.
Big brands like Macy’s, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Gap, Uniqlo and Timberland have fled large facilities since the Covid shutdowns and subsequent riots.
Many were driven away by increased crime and violence, and the vacancy rate in the once-swanky shopping area has increased 10-fold since 2016, when it stood at just 3.6 percent, to 30.1 percent. current.
The Magnificent Mile’s vacancy rate was below five percent just six years ago, according to nbc chicago.
Lightfoot (pictured third from right) faces a packed primary field. He must win an outright majority, or at least finish in the top two to force a runoff in April.
Vallas’ and Johnsons’ work histories with city schools are playing to their advantage in the race after Lightfoot went to war with teachers over returning to teaching full-time in-person.
‘We know the safest place for children to be is in-person learning in schools. We have to get the teachers union real and serious about going back to face-to-face learning,” she said in a January 2022 interview.
After casting her vote Tuesday morning, Vallas, 46, told reporters: “The city is clearly in crisis and people want a crisis manager who can go in and focus on getting things done.”
This year, the teachers union has endorsed Lightfoot’s rival, Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner and former union organizer and Chicago teacher.