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Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright
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This is a fact that has been totally overlooked with all the discussion of "wow Chicago will see it's first African American Woman Mayor". Lightfoot would also be Chicago's first LGBTQ mayor.
I'd like to think that, in today's era and a race between two black women, not a whole lot of people are going to be motivated by sexual orientation. Maybe I'm ignorant though...
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I'm gay and I don't think the fact that she's lesbian will play much of a role. Perhaps in some wards, but not most. I think the fact that she isn't really part of the Machine will carry far more weight than her sexuality. Heck, I think the fact that she's a graduate of the University of Chicago will carry more weight than her sexuality. I think if she were a man, it might at least a little bit more of a liability, because in terms of broad public opinion, I think gay men still suffer more from negative stigma than lesbian women do.
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Originally Posted by ardecila
^ I'm unclear how Lightfoot will perform in Daley/Joyce (cop/white ethnic) wards, though.
Her relationship to the police department during her career puts her at odds with both rank-and-file cops, and the Black community at large. Cops see her as an enemy of the police, while Black voters see her as a an ally of the police. Her sexual orientation doesn't endear her to these groups, either, which tend toward a more conservative social view. I expect the Black community at large to go for Preckwinkle... for the white ethnics, I think they've got more of a dilemma. Both candidates will be in the uncomfortable position of courting white ethnics who are loathe to see any Black mayor.
I also expect to see both candidates focus on Latino wards as the key swing group in this election, since their only representative candidate Mendoza was eliminated and they're definitely not a lock for Preckwinkle.
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Lightfoot did very well in "liberal white" districts from what I saw on TV last night. I think anyone who looks at what Lightfoot did when it comes to her involvement with police will realize that she did more to hold police to account than almost anyone else. I certainly think a reasonable person could conclude that Lightfoot will do more to promote racial equity than Preckwinkle will (or has).
Preckwinkle may be considered the machine candidate that city workers would normally vote for. But city workers have to live through machine politics, too. They are impacted by police corruption, too. They are most likely to be hit doubly hard by the pension issues (higher taxes, and uncertainty about whether they'll receive what they'd been promised), so they want someone with intelligent plans to address them, not just more of the same. So, given the times, I'm not convinced that they'll just all automatically go with who the Machine tells them to go with. Burke won in his ward, but with only 55%, and I don't think outside of his ward anyone respects him. Preckwinkle's association with him may not be as much of a smoking gun as some would say, but it's certainly not the best look for her.
Personally, I don't think Preckwinkle is many people's second choice, so a high percentage of people who would ever vote for her, have already voted for her. If I'm right about that, Lightfoot could end up winning 60/40.
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