Staff Reports
A recent poll released on Wednesday indicated that Lori Lightfoot, the Democratic Mayor of Chicago, may not secure re-election in the upcoming February 28th election. The poll showed Lightfoot trailing behind former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas and Democratic Illinois Representative Jesús “Chuy” García, both of whom have criticized her leadership regarding the rise in crime in the city.
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A telephone poll of 625 registered voters was conducted from January 31st to February 3rd, revealing the results of the mayoral race. The results showed Lightfoot with 17% of the vote, Vallas with 18%, and García with 20%. 11% of the voters supported Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, 12% supported businessman Willie Wilson, and 18% were undecided. In the case that no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a runoff election will be held on April 4th.
The city has experienced a 40% rise in criminal activity from 2021 to 2022, including a significant jump of 132% in motor vehicle theft, a 56% surge in sexual assault cases, a 15% rise in robberies, and a 52% increase in theft reports. This spike in crime has resulted in several big corporations announcing their plans to move out of the city over the past year. According to a January AARP poll, nearly 9 out of 10 Chicago residents have thought about relocating to areas with lower crime rates in the past year.
Lightfoot made a commitment to reduce the city’s police budget by $80 million during the 2020 protests, however, she now denies being a “defunder.” This has become a highly disputed issue between Lightfoot and her competitors during the current election season.
The poll results are sure to cause some concern for Lightfoot as she heads into the election. With the margin of error being only four points, it is clear that the race is very close and any of the three leading candidates could come out on top. Lightfoot has yet to comment on the poll results or her chances for reelection. It will be interesting to see how the race plays out over the next few weeks leading up to the election.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on The Daily Caller
