Lori Lightfoot Reportedly Blames Race, Gender After Losing Reelection Bid

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) believes the issues of and race and gender are to blame for her reelection loss, according to a report.

According to The New York Post, when asked if she had been treated unfairly, Lightfoot told a reporter, “I’m a Black woman in America. Of course.”

Still, she described being mayor of Chicago as “the honor of a lifetime.”

She added, “Regardless of tonight’s outcome, we fought the right fights and we put this city on a better path,” per the Post.

Prior to the election, Lightfoot spoke to The New Yorker and made similar remarks.

“Do I like the way that I’ve been portrayed in the media as the person who can’t get along or collaborate?” she said.

Lightfoot continued, “There’s a long list of things that totally puts the lie to this notion.”

Pointing out she is a “Black woman—let’s not forget,” Lightfoot added, “Certain folks, frankly, don’t support us in leadership roles.”

Additionally, during an interview with Politico, Lightfoot expressed her frustration with how women are treated in the media.

Lightfoot commented on Time Magazine’s previous cover story on former Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel.

“I remember Rahm Emanuel appearing on the cover of Time magazine, the headline was basically like: ‘Tough guy for Chicago,’” she said to the outlet.

She argued, “No woman or woman of color is ever going to get that headline.”

Notably, Lightfoot is now the first mayor in more than 30 years to lose a reelection bid, as IJR reported.

Paul Vallas and Cook County commissioner Brandon Johnson, who received the approval of the Chicago Teachers Union, will go on to the run-off election in April.