Chicago Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election race Tuesday after her first-term was plagued by crime, the inability to recover from the pandemic, and petty fighting with officials.
Homicide rates under Lightfoot’s tenure have skyrocketed to “generational highs,” while robberies, muggings, carjackings, and other property crimes have all seen a significant increase, according to The New York Times.
The two candidates that advanced to the runoff race are former schools CEO Paul Vallas, who received the most votes at 35% with nearly 90% of the votes in. The other candidate is Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, who garnered 20% of the vote. Lightfoot only earned 16% of the vote.
The Times noted that Vallas is considered to be tougher on crime that Lightfoot.
Dave Wasserman of the non-partisan Cook Political Report called the race before all the votes had been tallied.
“I’ve seen enough: Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson advance to the April 4 runoff in the Chicago mayoral race, defeating Mayor Lori Lightfoot,” Wasserman said.