Voters in Chicago on Tuesday voted Lori
Lightfoot as mayor, making her the first openly lesbian, black woman
elected mayor of the city.
Lightfoot was running against Cook
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
The AP called the race for Lightfoot at
8 P.M. local time. Early results showed Lightfoot with a commanding
lead.
Chicago becomes the largest city in the
United States with an openly gay mayor. Houston, which elected
Annise Parker to three terms as mayor, previously held that
distinction.
Lightfoot was endorsed by the LGBTQ
Victory Fund, a group which helps elect LGBT candidates. Parker helms
the organization.
“A Black lesbian taking power in the
nation’s third-largest city is a historic moment for so many
communities that are too often ignored in American politics,”
Parker said in a statement. “Chicago’s enormous influence on the
national dialogue provides a platform for Lori to promote more
inclusive solutions to the challenges facing our cities and nation –
and to be a credible messenger as well. Lori will certainly remain
focused on the issues facing Chicago. But as the highest-ranking
LGBTQ person ever elected mayor of an American city – a title she
takes from me – she is also now a key leader in the movement to
build LGBTQ political power nationwide.”