2019 Chicago mayoral election

The 2019 Chicago mayoral election was held on February 26, 2019, to determine the next Mayor of the City of Chicago, Illinois. Since no candidate received a majority of votes, a runoff election was held on April 2, 2019, between the two candidates with the most votes, Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle. Lightfoot defeated Preckwinkle in the runoff election to become mayor, and was sworn in as mayor on May 20, 2019.

2019 Chicago mayoral election

February 26, 2019 (first round)
April 2, 2019 (runoff)
Turnout35.20% 5.78 pp (first round)
32.89% 2.31 pp (second round)
 
Candidate Lori Lightfoot Toni Preckwinkle Bill Daley
First round 97,667
17.54%
89,343
16.04%
82,294
14.78%
Runoff 386,039
73.70%
137,765
26.30%
Eliminated

 
Candidate Willie Wilson Susana Mendoza Amara Enyia
First round 59,072
10.61%
50,373
9.05%
44,589
8.00%
Runoff Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated

 
Candidate Jerry Joyce Gery Chico Paul Vallas
First round 40,099
7.20%
34,521
6.20%
30,236
5.43%
Runoff Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated

Second round results by ward:
Lightfoot:      54–59%      59–64%      64–69%      69–74%      74–79%      79–84%      84–88%

Mayor before election

Rahm Emanuel

Elected Mayor

Lori Lightfoot

The election was officially non-partisan, with its winner being elected to a four-year term. The elections were part of the 2019 Chicago elections, which included elections for City Council, City Clerk, and City Treasurer.

Incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel initially announced he would run for a third term but withdrew in September 2018. Emanuel was first elected in 2011 (winning in the first round with 55.19% of the vote) and re-elected in 2015 (receiving 55.7% of the vote in the runoff election).

The runoff was historic, as it assured Chicago would elect its first African-American female mayor, its second elected African-American Mayor, after Harold Washington, and its second female mayor, after Jane Byrne. Not only is Lightfoot the first African-American woman mayor in Chicago's history, but she is also the first openly LGBT person to lead Chicago. Lightfoot's election made Chicago the largest city won by an African American woman, as well as the largest by an openly LGBT person, in United States history.

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