But! Lightfoot and Preckwinkle weren’t the only big winners on Tuesday. Leading up to Chicago’s municipal election we featured several women running for office in city council. We learned about their platforms, their motivations, and what it’s like to run for office as a woman compared to their male opponents. And now the results are in.

CHICAGO ALDERMANIC ELECTION 

61 women ran for alderman in 37 of our 50 wards.

9 women won their election outright:
Ward 3 - Pat Dowell (i)
Ward 4 - Sophia King (i)
Ward 8 - Michelle Harris (i)
Ward 10 - Susan Sadlowski Garza (i)
Ward 23 - Silvana Tabares (i)
Ward 34 - Carrie Austin (i)
Ward 37 - Emma Mitts (i)
Ward 49 - Maria Hadden                              
Ward 50 - Debra Silverstein (i) 

11 women will be vying for city council in Chicago’s runoff election on April 2: 
Ward 5 - Leslie Hairston (i)
Ward 16 - Stephanie Coleman
Ward 16 - Toni Foulkes (i)
Ward 20 - Jeanette Taylor
Ward 20 - Nicole Johnson
Ward 30 - Jessica Gutierrez
Ward 33 - Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez
Ward 33 - Deborah Mell (i)
Ward 39 - Samantha Nugent                         
Ward 43 - Michele Smith (i)

As of this publication, Ward 26 is still counting its votes as Theresa Siaw determines whether she will be conceding or facing Robert Maldonado in the runoffs.

BEYOND CHICAGO

Illinois also saw big wins for women across the state. Just to name a few, in Dolton, Tammie Brown won her election for Village Trustee and Dr. Lynn Florian won her aldermanic election in Waukegan. In Peoria, 14 candidates running for 5 seats on its city council including Rita Ali and Beth Jensen will be participating in the city’s spring run-off election. 

TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS!

Overall, we are grateful and humbled for all the women who put blood, sweat and tears into their races, endured time away from their families, and other sacrifices, to help make our local and state laws more equitable and representative of our needs as women. 

We also want to thank everyone who braved the cold weather because they understood how important it was to use their voices and cast their votes in this election. 

There’s still work to be done! We have five weeks to read up on our runoff candidates and be the best-informed voters we can be. Follow our social channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay educated on candidates. Let’s keep the momentum going and get back to the polls on April 2!

🗳️ BECOME A SHE VOTER! 🗳️