Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses re-election bid

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has lost her bid for re-election after a campaign in which she came under fire over the city's high crime rate.

She was the first black woman and the first openly gay person to serve as head of America's third-largest city.

The Democrat conceded defeat on Tuesday to two challengers, both Democrats, who will advance to a run-off next month.

Ms Lightfoot's defeat makes her the city's first one-term mayor in four decades.

She was one of nine candidates, all Democrats, in the crowded first round of the election.

Political outsider

Despite no experience of running for office, Ms Lightfoot won her first election for mayor by a large margin in 2019 by positioning herself as a political outsider keen to tackle corruption.

During her re-election campaign, she touted her record of supporting workers, increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, but the former prosecutor found herself assailed by rivals over the city's crime rate.

Crime rose sharply during Ms Lightfoot's tenure and opinion polls consistently put it at the top of the list of voter concerns.

Chicago last year saw 695 homicides according to police figures - a decrease of more than 100 from the previous year, but still at a stubbornly high level not seen in the city since the mid-1990s.

Other crimes such as robberies, theft and carjacking have seen steep increases in recent years. Poorer areas have been particularly badly hit, but violent crime has affected the city's downtown and other wealthy neighbourhoods.

Conceding defeat on Tuesday night, Ms Lightfoot said she would be "rooting and praying" for the next mayor and touted her administration's work on the Covid pandemic, public services and illegal gun confiscation.

"I am grateful that we took on the machine and entrenched forces that held this city back for too long," she told supporters.

April run-off

In the 4 April run-off, Paul Vallas, a former superintendent of Chicago schools will face Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner.

Mr Vallas, the only white candidate in the race, was endorsed by the city's biggest police union. He's pledged to remove the current police superintendent, boost numbers and put more cops on neighbourhood beats and Chicago's transport system.

He got around 35% of the first-round vote to Mr Johnson's 20%, with Ms Lightfoot about three points behind in third place.

Mr Johnson, who is black, is a former teacher and was endorsed by unions and progressive groups, including the Chicago Teachers Union.

His proposed plan to fight crime includes youth programmes, mental health services and hiring more detectives to investigate murders.