Preckwinkle denies trying to bully Lightfoot out of mayor’s race
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday flatly denied that she’s trying to “bully” Lori Lightfoot out of the mayor’s race and rejected Lightfoot’s attempt to brand her as an old-fashioned party boss.
“We haven’t offered Lori Lightfoot or anybody else any jobs in the administration,” Preckwinkle said after accepting the endorsement of the 34,000-member United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 881.
“I’m focused on running a strong campaign that reflects my progressive values.”
Lightfoot, on Thursday, laughed off Preckwinkle’s denial.
“I’ll never sit idly by while people tell lies about me. And I’m never gonnna succumb to a bully. Just ask Rahm Emanuel how well that strategy worked,” she said.
Preckwinkle, meanwhile, also denied that she tried to punish Fritz Kaegi, who defeated her longtime ally, Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, by leaving Kaegi’s name off the Democratic Party’s first campaign mailer.
Preckwinkle serves as chairman of the Cook County Regular Democratic Organization.
“Fritz Kaegi will be on our subsequent mailings. We had a policy in the past of including people who contributed to the mailings. Fritz Kaegi has contributed to the mailing. He’ll be on the next one,” Preckwinkle said.
Preckwinkle challenged a reporter who demanded to know why other Democratic candidates who failed to make a cash contribution were included on the party’s first mailer while Kaegi was left off.
“That’s not true. You are mistaken,” she said.
Preckwinkle also stayed on message when asked whether she was concerned about Amara Enyia gaining momentum, money and exposure because of the celebrity endorsements she has received from Chance the Rapper and Kanye West.
“I’m focused on my campaign and delivering my progressive message to the people of the city of Chicago,” Preckwinkle said, using the same line she used to respond to Lightfoot’s bullying charge.