Mayor Lori Lightfoot was knocked out of contention Tuesday night, leaving the CTU-backed Brandon Johnson and FOP-backed Paul Vallas to duke it out for the city's top job in an April runoff.

Why it matters: It's a stunning upset for Lightfoot, a first-term incumbent who was Chicago's first Black female and first openly gay mayor.

State of play: Lightfoot becomes only the second one-term Chicago mayor in 40 years. The last was Mayor Jane Byrne, who served from 1979 to 1983.

• This week, Chicago saw record early voting, boosted by a huge jump in mail-in ballots that tripled the number cast in 2019.
• But the day-of voting suggests overall turnout will be similar to 2019.

Zoom in: Vallas, the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, ran a campaign criticizing Lightfoot's record on public safety and promising to restore law and order.

• He also accepted the endorsement of the Chicago police union, which raised some eyebrows but seems to have paid off.

What he's saying: "I've had success because I've always had the good sense to listen to the community, to empower the community and draw my leadership from the community," Vallas said at his election night event.

• "We will make Chicago the safest city in America."

The other side: Johnson, a progressive former teacher backed by the CTU, has proposed aggressive taxes on "corporations and the ultra-rich" to fund social service programs.

What he's saying: "We have shifted the political dynamics in this city," Johnson said Tuesday night.

• "Whether you live in Jefferson Park or Morgan Park or McKinley Park or Humboldt Park, you deserve a better, stronger, safer Chicago."

Between the lines: This sets up an ideological battle between two Democrats on opposite sides of the spectrum, backed by two Chicago unions that battled Lightfoot during her rough tenure.

What's next: Chicagoans face another month of heavy campaigning before April 4.

Wards along the lakefront and on the city's far Northwest and Southwest sides registered the highest voter turnout in the city.

Why it matters: These wards will inevitably get the most attention from Vallas and Johnson as they seek the citywide vote over the next month.

View an interactive version of this map

Mayor Lightfoot's single term will go down as one of the most memorable and disappointing in recent Chicago history.

Why it matters: The loss represents dashed hopes for those who, four years ago, saw in Lightfoot a new, transparent, progressive day for Chicago politics.

• But in recent months, some of her most ardent former supporters publicly backed other candidates.

What they're saying: "Obviously, we didn't win the election today, but I stand here with my head held high and a heart full of gratitude," Lightfoot said Tuesday night.

The big picture: This year's election presented a stark contrast to 2019, when Lightfoot sailed to victory by winning every single ward in Chicago, securing almost 75% of the vote over Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Zoom in: Lightfoot promised to end corruption, take away aldermanic privilege and invest in all neighborhoods, not just the affluent ones.

• Lightfoot brought in the city's first casino, which is being planned for the Near North Side. Her Invest South/West initiative funded new infrastructure projects for Black and brown communities.

Yes, but: Less than a year into her term, Lightfoot's sprawling plans were hijacked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led her to take emergency measures and lock down the city.

Keep reading

Chicago's City Council will look very different after yesterday's election, even with a number of races heading to a runoff.

Why it matters: After decades of rubber-stamp City Councils, this one has the potential to present fresh ideas, form new voting blocks and change what's possible to pass.

Context: More than a dozen alders chose not to run for reelection, leaving the door open for new faces to reshape the council alongside a new mayor.

Of note: With thousands of mail-in ballots still outstanding, these races are not final.

Here are three results that stand out:

1st Ward: Incumbent Daniel La Spata tried to avoid a runoff, but if the vote total from last night holds, the Democratic Socialist will fall just shy of getting more than 50%. Sam Royko, son of the famed Chicago columnist Mike Royko, will be his challenger to represent Wicker Park/Armour Square.

11th Ward: When incumbent Nicole Lee was appointed to the seat last March, she became the first Asian-American woman to serve in City Council. She went toe to toe with Anthony Ciaravino to represent the newly drawn Asian-American-majority ward that includes Chinatown and Bridgeport, but neither came close to getting more than 50%.

• They'll square off again in April.

45th Ward: Incumbent Jim Gardiner's rough first term included an FBI investigation. He fell just short of getting more than 50% of the vote in the Jefferson Park/Portage Park area of the Northwest Side.

• He will run off against challenger Megan Mathias.

More intriguing races

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In our totally unscientific mayoral election poll, 903 Axios readers were almost evenly split between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson for the top spot.

Most important issue: 46.8% chose public safety, with all other issues trailing far behind.

How you voted:

• 44.9% by mail
• 30.3% early in person
• 24.8% on Election Day

What swayed you:

• 23%: Vallas campaign liking right-wing posts on social media
• 17.4%: CTU allegedly skirting rules to give money to Johnson
• 15.3%: Lightfoot telling Black voters to only vote for her

The intrigue: The least bothersome "scandal" was Chuy Garcia accepting a campaign contribution from embattled FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

• 64.4% of you want rank choice voting

More than 200 Chicago politicians were hosting election get-togethers across the city last night, and since we couldn't attend all of them (we tried), we asked some of the campaigns to offer up a few words, of course, about what they ate.

Why it matters: As Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said: "Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are."

And you can't have good food without good music. DJ Rod Sawyer, take us out!