Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blames racism, sexism for election loss

Following Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot being eliminated from Chicago's mayoral race on Tuesday evening, Lightfoot said that she lost her re-election bid because of racism and sexism. 

When asked by a reporter if she believed she had been treated unfairly, Lightfoot said, "I'm a black woman in America. Of course," before adding that serving as mayor had been the "honor of a lifetime." 



"Regardless of tonight’s outcome, we fought the right fights and we put this city on a better path,” Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot has not been afraid to inject race into her politics several times throughout her tenure, including into the lead-up to the election. "I am a black woman — let’s not forget," Lightfoot told the New Yorker in an interview that ran last week. "Certain folks, frankly, don't support us in leadership roles."

Lightfoot was officially eliminated from Chicago's mayoral race, having not qualified for the run-off election that is to come. 

"Obviously, we didn’t win the election today, but I stand here with my head held high and a heart full of gratitude," Lightfoot said while touting her administration's nonexistent "progress on public safety."

Lightfoot served as mayor through 2020, which saw riots across the United States and a Defund the Police movement that destabilized several cities, including Chicago, as well as the pandemic, which saw Lightfoot partying in the streets after Biden's victory in 2020, and just days later reimplementing lockdown measures ahead of Thanksgiving.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times: "Violent crime in the city spiked by 40 percent since she promised during her inaugural address to end the epidemic of gun violence that devastates families, shatters communities, holds children hostage to fear in their own homes."