OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, lost her re-election bid on Monday, with critics expressing relief at the end of her term. During her tenure, the city saw a sharp rise in crime, which was a recurring theme in her opponents’ criticism. In 2021, Chicago recorded the highest number of homicides in 25 years, surpassing other cities notorious for their high crime rates, such as New York City and Los Angeles, Fox News reported.
During her time in office, Lightfoot faced withering criticism for her strained relationship with law enforcement, which resulted in a significant number of officers leaving the city’s police department in recent years amid a surge in crime.
Lightfoot finished third in the election and did not make it to the runoff, facing challenges from eight other candidates in the mayoral race.
Chicago Public Schools CEO and city budget director Paul Vallas and Cook County Board of Commissioners member Brandon Johnson will compete in the April 4 runoff election, as neither candidate received the necessary 50% of votes to win outright.
Lightfoot’s loss in the election was met with criticism from her opponents, who cited Chicago’s high crime rates and strained relationship with law enforcement. On Twitter, many expressed their enthusiasm for new leadership in the city, Fox News added.
Ousted Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot claims she was treated unfairly because she's 'a black woman in America' despite failing to stop soaring crime – as critics unleash and election heads to runoff
via https://t.co/YqXcrAJG4s. About time https://t.co/qG5angAFch— Mark Groubert (@lordbuckly) March 1, 2023
Vallas and Johnson advancing to runoff after Lightfoot concedes https://t.co/5yeR1GJ0kR pic.twitter.com/4KgaO3QSnQ
— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) March 1, 2023
Gianno Caldwell, a political analyst for Fox News and whose brother was killed in Chicago last summer, announced on Twitter that the “experiment” with Lori Lightfoot as mayor of Chicago is “officially over. Thank you, CHICAGO.”
Former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, who lost his bid for a U.S. House seat in November, exclaimed that the mayor “just got the FOOT!” He added, “Other Democrat mayors with out-of-control crime in your cities, take note. Even liberals are tired of being unsafe.”
“There is hope for my home city yet,” noted Georgetown law professor Jonathan Turley, a criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor. “Lori Lightfoot is out. The greatest potential improvement for the city since 1900 when the direction of the Chicago river was reversed.”
Kayleigh McEnany, a co-host on Fox News’ “Outnumbered,” brought attention to comments she made in 2020 as the White House press secretary, where she called Lightfoot the “derelict mayor of Chicago” for her response to the city’s high crime rates and advised the Democrat to seek federal assistance. At the time, Lightfoot responded on Twitter by telling McEnany to “watch her mouth” and calling her “Karen.”
“Lori Lightfoot lost her election,” McEnany tweeted on Monday. “Perhaps she should have woken up when I referred to her as the ‘derelict mayor of Chicago’ from the White House podium for ignoring victims of crime in her city! Instead, she said ‘Hey, Karen. Watch your mouth.’”
According to POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin, Lightfoot acknowledged that she had made some mistakes during her time as mayor, but argued that the real issue was that people were too quick to pass judgment on a black woman, the Daily Wire reported.
“Of course, you can’t have lived through what we lived through and say I did everything perfect. We made mistakes,” she said, pivoting to bring former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s TIME Magazine spread into the conversation.
“I remember Rahm Emanuel appearing on the cover of Time magazine, the headline was basically like: ‘Tough guy for Chicago.’ No woman or woman of color is ever going to get that headline,” she complained.
Lightfoot, who was the first black female and openly lesbian mayor of Chicago, voiced a similar sentiment in an interview with The New Yorker. She stated, “I’m a black woman, and let’s not forget, some people simply do not support us in leadership positions.”
Lightfoot is facing a tough competition in Tuesday’s election, with eight challengers vying for the top two spots that would take them to the run-off. Some skeptics don’t believe that she will even make it that far.
“Personally, I don’t [think she can pull off this race], but I’ve been wrong before as the polls have in the past,” local radio host Ray Stevens prophetically told “Fox & Friends First.”
