Chicago will elect its first black female mayor April 2, after Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle advanced to a runoff election on Tuesday. Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, and Preckwinkle, the Cook County Board president, led a field of 14 candidates running to replace Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is retiring after two terms. The most famous name on the ballot was William Daley, the brother and son of former Chicago mayors Richard M. Daley and Richard J. Daley and, like Emanuel, a former chief of staff to President Barack Obama. Lightfoot is also the first openly gay woman to run for Chicago mayor.
The next Chicago mayor will have to address how best to invest in poor neighborhoods, crime and gun violence, underperforming schools, and pension debt, but two of the main campaign themes were reforming Chicago's police department in the wake of the 2014 Laquan McDonald shooting and fighting corruption and pay-to-play culture at City Hall. At least two dozen Chicago alderman have been convicted of crimes since 1972, The Associated Press notes. Turnout on Tuesday was low, at about 27 percent of registered voters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 ladylike cartoons about women's role in the electionCartoons Artists take on the political gender gap, Lady Liberty, and more
-
The right to die: what can we learn from other countries?The Explainer A look at the world's assisted dying laws as MPs debate Kim Leadbeater's proposed bill
-
Volkswagen on the ropes: a crisis of its own makingTalking Point The EV revolution has 'left VW in the proverbial dust'
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
