Polls have closed in Chicago and incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her reelection bid on Tuesday. Lightfoot was among a field of eight candidates hoping to lead the beleaguered Windy City. At the time of this writing, Paul Vallas—a former head of schools in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Orleans—leads the pack with 34.6% of the vote (see below for the current tally). Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson is in second, with 20.23%, and Lori Lightfoot is in third, with 16.58%.
Decision Desk HQ has called the top two slots for Vallas and Johnson. If no candidate reaches the 50% threshold, which appears to be the case in this election, the top two will advance to a runoff election on April 4.
Lightfoot conceded to the top two candidates late Tuesday night. The Chicago Tribune described her as “shaken” when she said, “Obviously, we didn’t win the election today, but I stand here with my head held high and a heart full of gratitude.” Read more…