CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot will officially announce that she will seek a second term soon, the mayor’s team told WGN News.
Lightfoot, 59, has been serving since 2019 as the 56th mayor of Chicago.
The former attorney and city government official will be challenged so far by 15th Ward Ald. Raymond Lopez and multi-millionaire businessman Willie Wilson. FOP President John Catanzara also has said he plans to run on YouTube and in media interviews last year when he announced his retirement from CPD.
On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley removed his name from speculation. Quigley said he’d been doing some polling to see if he could beat Lightfoot and while he said those polls show he could win — right now, he can’t commit to a campaign because of his duties in Congress amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“I respect Rep. Quigley’s leadership in trying to end the war in Ukraine and his efforts to safeguard democracies across the world. I look forward to continuing to work with him and his staff to ensure that Chicago gets its fair share of federal dollars and that we continue to lift up the needs of our Chicago communities in Washington, D.C.”
The news was first reported by Lynn Sweet from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Lightfoot told the Sun-Times that she feels “good to make personal connections with folks that aren’t just over phone or Zoom” — referencing a lack of COVID-19 restrictions this year, unlike in 2020 or 2021.
At this time, a specific timeframe for her announcement is unknown. The election is scheduled for February, 28, 2023.
