Many Chicago residents and Twitter users alike are celebrating Lori Lightfoot's victory in a runoff election on Tuesday, as she becomes the first black woman and openly gay person to be elected as Chicago’s mayor.
In her victory speech Lightfoot thanked her voters, saying they created a movement for change. Indeed, her win is a historic one. Despite being a first-time candidate, Lightfoot handily beat her opponent, former alderman Toni Preckwinkle.
“We were up against powerful interests, a powerful machine and a powerful mayor,” Lightfoot said. “Nobody gave us much of a chance.”
Yet, amid the celebration, Lightfoot has faced criticism for her record as a federal prosecutor.
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Despite that, her supporters were pleased. In her speech, Lightfoot quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and promised to end Chicago's cycle of corruption, which garnered cheering and applause from the audience.
