Chicago mayor election: Lori Lightfoot officially begins reelection campaign

Tuesday evening, she hosted a kickoff fundraiser, and is predicted to be hitting the marketing campaign path with a collection of stops scheduled on the South and West Facet Wednesday.

Lightfoot is raring to tackle a second time period whereas taking up her critics.

“Simply because some won’t all the time like my supply, does not imply we’re not delivering,” she mentioned.

In a highly-produced marketing campaign video , Lightfoot mentioned she’s a fighter who’s able to combat for Chicago for one more 4 years.

“The actual fact is due to you, Chicago is coming again. Once we acquired knocked down by COVID, we got here collectively as a metropolis and we acquired proper again up as a result of that is who we’re and that is how we have been capable of make a lot progress regardless of all that is been thrown at us,” she mentioned.

Along with the pandemic, her largest problem could be the notion by many who crime is uncontrolled.

In simply the previous week, two Chicago law enforcement officials and a U.S. Marshall have been shot within the metropolis.

“Crime problem is her Achilles heel. That is one factor that she goes to must reply for in any respect prices. That’s the largest concern that I am listening to from voters,” mentioned ABC political analyst Laura Washington. “That is a problem that touches each voter within the metropolis, and he or she’s going to have to deal with that one head on.”

Earlier this week, she riled many within the legal justice system with a remark.

“Given the exacting requirements that the state’s legal professional has for charging a case – which is proof past an inexpensive doubt – when these costs are introduced, these individuals are responsible,” Lightfoot mentioned Monday.

Cook dinner County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr. famous Chicago’s historical past of wrongful convictions and false confessions mentioned the mayor was simply fallacious to equate costs to guilt earlier than somebody even goes to trial.

“The Cook dinner County Public Defender’s Workplace, within the final calendar yr, have represented people in over 10,000 circumstances the place there was a discovering of not responsible or costs have been dismissed,” she mentioned.

With out naming Lightfoot, the county’s chief choose issued a press release saying, “a current declare that each one these accused of violent crimes are ‘responsible’ and must be in jail previous to trial is fallacious on each the legislation and the details.”

However with six challengers already within the race, the ACLU mentioned the mayor was doing a little political posturing in an election yr.

“It is actually unhappy to see somebody who, you recognize, as effectively skilled as a lawyer and a former prosecutor, elevate politics over constitutional rights in the best way that the mayor did,” mentioned ACLU of Illinois Communications Director Ed Yohnka.
A former prime prosecutor defended the mayor’s underlying message and believes she let her feelings get the perfect of her.

“I do know as a truth she labored on wrongful convictions is aware of the presumption of innocence. I do not suppose the general public ought to beat her up an excessive amount of on this she let the feelings get the perfect and he or she is aware of,” Former 1st Assistant Cook dinner County State’s Lawyer Bob Milan.

The mayor is already going through half a dozen challengers, together with candidate Willie Wilson.

“Her tenure has been marked by a failure to curtail the violence in our metropolis,” Wilson mentioned.

“As an alternative of a public security plan, she’s raised bridges, put up barricades and demanded curfews,” added State Consultant Kam Buckner.

WATCH: Political Analyst Weights In On Lightfoot Reelection Bid

Some 250 supporters of Lightfoot attended a non-public marketing campaign fundraiser in River North.

“Principally, she’s acquired extra work to do,” mentioned Alderman Jason Ervin, twenty eighth Ward. “However I believed the temper was nice kicking it off, and I feel it is a good factor.”

The Republican Nationwide Committee launched a press release in response to Lightfoot’s announcement.

“A whole lot lifeless, out-of-control violent crime, and $6.00 per gallon fuel is the truth Chicagoans stay with every day. Lori Lightfoot resides in an alternate actuality if she thinks her observe report will rise up in a bid for one more time period as mayor,” mentioned RNC Spokesperson Preya Samsundar.

Six different candidates have introduced their mayoral run.

Roderick Sawyer grew to become the second metropolis council member to announce a mayoral run Thursday, becoming a member of fifteenth Ward Alderman Ray Lopez. He’s additionally the sixth candidate general to announce a run, becoming a member of businessman Willie Wilson, State Consultant Kam Buckner, former CPS CEO Paul Vallas and Frederick Collins, a veteran Chicago police officer.