Top 8 Lori Lightfoot Fails Leading to Her Political Demise

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot pauses during her concession speech as her spouse Amy Eshlema
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Hannah Knudsen

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) lost her bid for reelection on Tuesday night, becoming the first Chicago mayor to lose a bid for reelection in four decades. While she preemptively blamed her political demise, in part, on racism and sexism, she has had many unflattering moments that have led to her election loss.

With Lightfoot out of the running, Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas (D) and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson (D) are headed for an April 4th runoff election. However, Lightfoot couched her loss before it happened, telling the New Yorker in a piece published over the weekend that she is a “black woman” in America.

“Certain folks, frankly, don’t support us in leadership roles,” she asserted.

Despite her excuses, there are several unflattering moments that led to the Democrat’s political demise in the Windy City.

1. Lightfoot got a haircut early on in the coronavirus pandemic after scolding Windy City residents for not shutting down “non-essential” businesses. 

Lightfoot put her hypocrisy on full display early on in the Chinese coronavirus. Lightfoot initially scolded residents of the city who were seen in public “unnecessarily,” begging people , “Dear God, stay home, save lives.” However, the mayor failed to apply that rule to herself, getting a haircut as she berated residents who also wanted to engage in routine activities. She even sent police officers to prevent people from using the facilities at the lakefront after asserting that congregating there was a risk “unacceptable and could lead to death.” 

However, Lightfoot still got a haircut and contended that it was not hypocritical, because the stylist wore a mask and gloves. Lightfoot also defended her non-essential action by using her status as a political figure as a defense. 

“I’m a person who, I take my personal hygiene very seriously. As I said, I felt like I needed to have a haircut. I’m not able to do that myself, so I got a haircut,” she said, seemingly getting feisty with the media questioning her. 

2. Lightfoot dressed up as “Rona Destroyer” as she unveiled the guidelines for celebrating Halloween in the city in October 2020. 

At the time, Lightfoot wore a black mask and cape that read “Rona Destroyer, with a giant picture of Clorox wipes draped across her chest:

 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot / Periscope

During that announcement, officials made it clear that “large or small” house parties were not allowed. 

3. In June 2021, Lightfoot declared racism a “public health emergency” and announced her intention to divert $10 million in coronavirus relief for the creation of “equity zones.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is literally killing us,” Lightfoot said at the time, asserting that “the insidious nature of systemic racism has other impacts that are every bit as deep and harmful but are often ones we can’t see, like impacts on the psyche and other impacts on our bodies that are just as, if not more, deadly.” At the time, the Democrat failed to draw attention to the homicides and shootings routinely plaguing her city:

3. Lightfoot violated her own mask mandate while attending a WNBA game.

In August 2021, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), reinstituted the mask mandate embraced by Lightfoot, applying to both the vaccinated as well as toddlers. Months later, Lightfoot attended Game 4 of the WNBA Finals going maskless as a sea of individuals around her wore face coverings:

4. Lightfoot targeted the unvaccinated. 

The Democrat uttered warnings to unvaccinated Chicagoans as part of a December 2021 video wishing people “joyous Kwanza” — a Marxist-rooted holiday created by black nationalists. During the video, Lightfoot urged unvaccinated individuals to get the jab as she and her wife, Amy, asserted that only fully vaccinated individuals should gather “without restrictions”:

That same month, Lightfoot announced a vaccine passport system, barring unvaccinated individuals from bars, restaurants, gyms, and indoor venues for refusing to get the shot:

“To put it simply, if you have been living vaccine-free, your time is up,” she said. “If you wish to live life as w/the ease to do the things you love, you must be vax’d. This health order may pose an inconvenience to the unvaccinated, and in fact it is inconvenient by design.”

5. Lightfoot offered a stack of money to get people vaccinated.

Lightfoot was mocked relentlessly after posting an image of herself standing next to a “stack” of cash, which spelled out “Get Vax’d.”

“The message is clear. Get vaccinated or the comfort of your home and this stack could be yours,” she teased, prompting mockery across social media:

6. Lightfoot rejected the premise of accepting illegal migrants into her city.

In September 2022, Lightfoot deemed it both “immoral” and “unpatriotic” for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to bus migrants from Texas to her city, despite its sanctuary status. She also deemed it a “racist and xenophobic” move as well.

As Breitbart News reported at the time:

After having received just 125 border crossers on buses from Texas, Lightfoot’s office launched a website pleading with Chicago residents to donate gift cards, clothing, baby formula, and other necessities to the new arrivals.

Chicago Mayor's Office / Facebook

7. Lightfoot closed out 2022 with at least 723 murders for the year.

Motor vehicle theft was also 95 percent from the year prior, and theft was up 50 percent.

8. Lightfoot danced at a parade amid the city’s crime problem.

More recently, in January 2023, Lightfoot danced at the annual Argyle Lunar New Year Parade while expressing excitement for the upcoming election. Meanwhile, she continued to fail to address rising crime in her own city, with thousands of homicides and shootings under her leadership. At least 15 people were shot the weekend before her parade jig alone:

“Serving as your mayor has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am so grateful to all of you who have stood beside me these last four years,” Lightfoot said in a Tuesday night post, accepting her loss and bizarrely asserting that, under her leadership, they have made progress in building a “safer” city:

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