Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will not be running for mayor against Lori Lightfoot in the 2023 election, he announced on Tuesday.
Duncan, 57, runs Chicago CRED, a nonprofit aimed at violence prevention. Before that, Duncan served as President Barack Obama’s education secretary and CEO of Chicago Public Schools. He had been considering a run for months but ruled it out today, saying in a statement, “I am exactly where I need to be, doing the work I love.”
Shortly after announcing via Twitter that he wouldn’t run, Duncan told the Tribune he made the decision because he “couldn’t walk away from the work I’m doing” on anti-violence initiatives with Chicago youth.
Lightfoot has not formally announced her reelection campaign but is widely expected to seek a second term. Her political team has recently started hiring for key positions and she has been raising money, though she has also burned through more campaign cash than she’s collected since shortly after winning office two and a half years ago.
Asked whether he’ll back another candidate, Duncan said he’ll “work with anyone who’s serious about making our city safer.”
That doesn’t preclude him backing Lightfoot despite his consistent criticism of the direction of the city under her stewardship, according to Duncan.
“That’s not what I said. Our kids deserve so much better,” he said.
But couldn’t he do more to fight violence as mayor than as the leader of a nonprofit?
“Trust me, I understand the levers and the power of being mayor,” Duncan said. “But in the end, somebody has to do the work, and I’m where I need to be to do that. I’m laser-focused on breaking the cycle of violence in this city, and ready to work with anybody who can help with that work.”
Family considerations weren’t a factor in deciding not to run, Duncan said. “My family was fully supportive of my decision, whatever it was,” he said.
In a statement Tuesday, Lightfoot praised Duncan and his work, saying he’s “dedicated himself to public service, and over the arc of his career contributed to our city’s well being in important ways.”
“The work he’s doing now to build community-based solutions to violence is important, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Chicago CRED and the other street outreach and intervention organizations and initiatives across our city,” Lightfoot said. “We all agree that the priority is to make sure every resident, regardless of zip code, experiences safe and peaceful neighborhoods, and I will work with all people of good will focused on that objective.”
Lightfoot’s tenure as mayor has served as a crash course in crisis management, from the COVID-19 pandemic and destructive civil unrest to a teachers strike and skyrocketing violent crime. Her relationship with aldermen has also been rocky, dating back to her very first day as mayor.
Public safety figures to be a key campaign issue as crime has increased significantly over the past two years.
Challengers said to be weighing bids against Lightfoot include Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner, Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer, downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins and former city Building Commissioner Judy Frydland.
