There's more to Lori Lightfoot than her color and her sexuality, of course. First, she's not remotely beholden to The Machine. Her opponent -- another black woman named Toni Preckwinkle -- is Cook County Board President and head of the local Democratic Party. Can't get much more Establishment than that. What's more Preckwinkle accepted fundraising help from Ed Burke. Alderman Burke is the poster boy for Cook County corruption.
Here's the thing: Toni Preckwinkle has been in city government for nearly 30 years. When she came up through the ranks, she simply had to play along with The Machine. There simply was no other way. Last week, those relationships weighed her down.
Meanwhile, Lori Lightfoot is seen as a reformer. She headed Rahm Emmanuel's Police Accountability Task Force, a civilian organization that explored the myriad problems with the Chicago Police Department. She worked with Rahm, but never seemed indebted to him. She played it smarter than Toni did.
After Laquan McDonald, this city wants someone new. Someone clean. Someone different. And we got her.
God bless her. Let's hope she doesn't let us down.
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