Lori Lightfoot Wins Chicago Mayor Race, Will Be First Black Woman In Role

Lori Lightfoot will be Chicago’s next mayor after Tuesday’s highly anticipated race. She’ll become the first black woman ever to lead the country’s third-largest city.

Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, won the April 2 runoff against Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, according to The Associated Press. Lightfoot is also Chicago’s first openly gay mayor and had been the head of a police oversight board.

Lightfoot and Preckwinkle, who both identify as progressives, were the top two vote-getters among more than a dozen candidates in the Chicago mayoral election in February, but neither received more than the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. Lightfoot received about 17.5% of the vote in February, and Preckwinkle received about 16.1%.