Exclusive: Lightfoot reflects on the end of the DNC journey
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Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot helped bring the DNC to Chicago. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
The end of the DNC wraps up two years' worth of work by leaders like Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Oh, and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, too.
The big picture: Lightfoot was instrumental in landing the DNC and represented Chicago in an unofficial capacity this week.
What they're saying: "I personally worked very hard to make the case for why this convention should come here," the former mayor tells Axios.
- "Now seeing it happen? It's pretty fabulous."
Flashback: Lightfoot, who lost her bid for a second term as mayor in 2023, worked alongside Pritzker to write the bid to persuade the Democratic National Committee to choose Chicago as host city.
- "We know how to pull off big-scale events," Lightfoot says. "I think this city has done a really good job."
State of play: Since she left office, Lightfoot has kept a low profile, accepting visiting lecturer positions at universities like Harvard and agreeing to be a special prosecutor investigating the mayor of Dolton.
Yes, but: This week, she came back into the spotlight. She did convention analysis for CBS 2 Chicago and went viral this week for telling Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance to "STFU" on social media after Vance attacked Chicago's violent reputation.
- "I just think it's a dumb strategy, people can see right through it," Lightfoot said, referring to Republicans' constant attacks on Chicago. "This is where the innovation happens. This is where young people come to go to school, to gather, to stay, to launch their careers. Why are you attacking cities? It's just stupid."
The bottom line: Lightfoot no longer represents Chicago in an official capacity, but this week is a victory for something Lightfoot started but couldn't finish.
- "I'm still welcoming people to Chicago, right? What feeds me is doing a job, doing it well, serving people, helping improve the quality of their lives, making sure Chicago's true self is shown on a national and international scale."