The Crusader Newspaper Group

Lightfoot’s Approval Tops 70% in First Week In Office

According to the latest Illinois Poll, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s approval ratings are riding high during her first week in office, with 70.7% of Chicago voters saying they approve of her performance thus far, while only 25.6% disapprove.

The poll, conducted May 20th-23rd, of 801 Chicago voters, is part of The Illinois Poll, a semi monthly survey conducted by Victory Research, an independent polling company based in Chicago. The poll has a margin of error of 3.46% and was conducted by live callers. Respondents answered on land lines (364) and cell phones (437).

The new Mayor registers her strongest approval among voters in Lakefront wards (85.0%), with African-American voters on the West Side (79.5%), and African-American voters on the South Side (74.1%) following closely behind.

Mayor Lightfoot’s strongest approval among racial groups citywide comes from African-American voters (76.4%), with Hispanics next (70.8%), and her lowest approval among white voters (65.6%). Lightfoot’s approval among various age groups holds steady across the board with a high among voters 31-45 years of age (73.4%), and a low among voters over age 60 (69.6%).

There is a very small gender gap in the Mayor’s approval ratings, with women voters approving her performance thus far slightly more than men voters (73.6% to 67.3%).

By contrast, Mayor Emanuel leaves office with an approval rating of only 33.4%. Lightfoot may for the time being be the most popular political figure in Chicago. Governor JB Pritzker’s approval rating in Chicago is 48.6%, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s is 32.5%, and President Donald Trump’s approval rating in Chicago is 18.5%, according to the poll.

Victory Research was the most accurate Illinois polling company for the 2018 election. The final Illinois poll of the 2018 Illinois Governor election published the day before the election showed Governor Prizker’s lead over former Governor Rauner at 16%. The actual margin of victory was 15.7%.

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