Chicago mayor elections: Lori lightfoot loses re-election; Vallas and Johnson head to a runoff 

Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will face each other in Chicago’s mayoral runoff election after Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid for a second term in Tuesday’s election. 

Vallas, who is seen as the frontrunner in the next elections, received 33.95% of the votes cast for the nine mayoral candidates, followed by Johnson in second place with 20.32% of votes. 

Lightfoot, the first Black woman and openly gay individual to serve as mayor of the Windy City, placed third with 16.89% of the votes. In fourth place came Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a Mexican-American candidate from Durango.  

“Obviously, we didn’t win the election. But I stand here with my head held high and my heart full of thanks,” Lightfoot told her supporters. 

“You will not be defined by how you fall. You will be defined by how hard you work and how much you do for other people,” she added.

With no candidate receiving more than 50% of the votes, voters will return to the polls for a run-off election between Vallas and Johnson on April 4. 

Being born the son of Greek immigrants who were police officers, teachers, and firefighters, Vallas made his campaign around public safety. The candidate ran for mayor four years ago, when Lightfoot was elected, coming in ninth out of 14 candidates. 

"I would like to thank you all, old friends and new, for joining this campaign," Vallas told his supporters at the Fulton Market event space City Hall. "It is because of you we are in the second round."

Johnson is a former teacher, Chicago Teachers Union Organizer, and current Cook County commissioner. 

"Tonight is about building a Chicago that truly invests in our people," he told supporters. "You know, the most radical thing we can do as a city is to love the people of Chicago."