Lori Lightfoot becomes the first Chicago Mayor in 40 years to lose re-election
Lori Lightfoot, Chicago’s Democratic Mayor, failed to receive enough votes in the nine-person race to move on to the April 4th runoff election. Lightfoot had made history as the first Black Woman and first openly gay person to serve as mayor of Chicago. Mayor Lightfoot conceded defeat saying, “obviously we didn’t win re-election today, but I stand here with my head held high.” The mayoral election will now be decided between Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Schools, and Brandon Johnson, a Cook County
Marianne Williamson announces another long shot presidential bid
Marianne Williamson, a spiritual advisor and self help author, has officially launched her campaign for the 2024 presidential election. Williamson is the first candidate to officially enter the race for the 2024 Democratic nomination, announcing her intention to run before even President Joe Biden. In a recent interview with NBC News, Williamson claimed she could defeat President Biden in the Democratic primary, even though she did not come close to the nomination when she previously ran in 2020. Williamson has faced criticism in the
Texas Republicans propose a Florida-style election police force as it tees up more changes to voting laws
Texas Republicans began laying the groundwork for a number of state level voting changes, including an election police force like the one Florida created prior to the 2022 midterm elections. GOP State Senators and Representatives have already prefiled 20 bills that will be seriously considered when the next legislative session begins in January. The proposed legislation falls into three categories: legislation that would impose harsher penalties for infractions; expand the state attorney general’s authority to prosecute election and voting crimes; and create a new
Maricopa County election official moved to ‘undisclosed location’ for his safety following social media threat
Bill Gates, the chairman of the Maricopa County board of supervisors, has been moved to an undisclosed location due to serious threats over social media regarding the recent midterm elections. Election workers across the country, but especially in Maricopa County, Arizona, have faced a steep rise in threats following the 2020 election when former President Donald Trump promoted a series of lies about the election. Just last week a meeting of the Maricopa County board of supervisors became volatile when some attendees began pushing
Suit: Mississippi high court districts dilute Black voter strength
Several civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center, have filed a suit on behalf of Black citizens of Mississippi, arguing that the state government needs to redraw its election maps for the state’s supreme court justices. Currently, Mississippi's supreme court justices stand for election in three districts, but only one of the nine justices is Black, and Black Americans make up 38% of the state’s population. Visit NBC News to learn moreImage Credit: formulanone(CC BY-SA 2.0)