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Lightfoot officially kicks off reelection campaign, downplays importance of ballot position
Mayor Lori Lightfoot hands in nominating petitions Monday at the city’s election supersite at Clark and Lake streets to get her name on the ballot for reelection.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
After turning in her nominating petitions Monday morning — a stack of signatures nearly half as tall as she is — Mayor Lori Lightfoot flexed a bit as she explained her decision to skip the chance to get her name on the bottom of the ballot, a position some believe offers an advantage.
“It’s not about the last spot, the positioning on the ballot, as if you are an unknown and people don’t know you. They know who I am. And our voters are going to find us,” Lightfoot said. “So we wanted to get this done this morning, get our folks geared up and ready for the next leg of the journey. And I’ve actually got a city to run as well, so getting back to the business of the people.”
Candidates seeking a spot in a lottery for the last ballot spot were required to hand in their nominating petitions toward the end of the day Monday. Candidates seeking to have their names on the top of the ballot handed in their petitions last week as soon as the city’s election office began accepting them.
Lightfoot’s election attorney, Michael Dorf, wheeled her petitions into the city’s election supersite at Clark and Lake streets using a hand truck, a fancier name for a dolly.
“I take nothing for granted. I know it’s going to be a lot of hard work,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot was accompanied by her wife, Amy Eshleman, and about 20 supporters carrying campaign signs, including several that proclaimed “I’m ridin’ with Lori” and showed Lightfoot at the steering wheel of a red convertible.
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a relative latecomer who announced his mayoral bid earlier this month, was expected to file his nominating petitions toward the end of the day to get in the lottery for the bottom ballot spot.
The elections for mayor, alderperson and other city offices will take place Feb. 28. If no mayoral candidate gets a majority of the vote in a race, a runoff between the two top candidates will take place April 4.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her election attorney, Michael Dorf, lift her reelection nomination petitions for the 2023 Municipal Election.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her wife, Amy Eshleman, greet supporters Monday morning as Lightfoot prepares to file reelection nomination petitions for the 2023 Municipal Election at the Chicago Board of Elections supersite in the Loop.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Mayor Lori Lightfoot files reelection nomination petitions for the 2023 Municipal Election at the Chicago Board of Elections supersite Monday morning.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times