Struggling Lori Lightfoot suggests Time Magazine is racist for not featuring her on cover like Rahm Emanuel

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Amid news that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot could lose re-election this year, the Democratic politician has taken her frustration out on media she claims isn’t giving her a fair shake because she’s a "woman of color."

In an interview with Politico, Lightfoot trashed Time Magazine for portraying former Mayor Rahm Emanuel as an embattled "tough guy" facing the pressures of his office, while refusing to give her similar treatment ahead of a race she could lose.

The current mayor accused Time of playing the race and gender card by not depicting her as a strong mayor, saying if she wasn’t a Black woman she would've received a similar cover story, and her polarizing actions as mayor wouldn’t have been judged as harshly.

LORI LIGHTFOOT SLAMMED FOR GASLIGHTING CHICAGOANS OVER DECLINING POLICE NUMBERS: ‘SMOKE AND MIRRORS’

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her spouse Amy Eshleman wave to supporters during a Women for Lori rally in Chicago, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

However, other Illinois lawmakers seemed to indicate to the outlet that Lightfoot is being held to proper account, particularly for some of her most "notorious" behavior while in office.

Lightfoot’s comments were provided in a recent Politico piece covering the danger she’s in of becoming "the first Chicago mayor defeated in 40 years." The article noted fears that the mayor may not even make it to the city’s runoff elections.

Politico senior political columnist Jonathan Martin wrote, "But a sitting mayor — particularly one with as much, yes, clout as the one in Chicago wields — should not be at risk of missing a runoff. That she is, her allies and adversaries alike say, is because she’s alienated so many Democrats with her mercurial style."

When asked about her dire political straits, Lightfoot admitted to Politico she’s not been perfect. She said, "Of course, you can’t have lived through what we lived through and say I did everything perfect. We made mistakes." 

Though she defended herself, saying she’s learned from those mistakes. She also claimed, "she was judged more harshly as a Black woman," Politico noted.

LORI LIGHTFOOT CLAIMS SHE ‘MISSPOKE’ WHEN TELLING VOTERS WHO DON'T SUPPORT HER NOT TO VOTE

Lori Lightfoot speaks during a news conference in Chicago on Oct. 27, 2022. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

To illustrate how outlets go easier on controversial White male lawmakers, she pointed to a Time Magazine cover story on Rahm Emanuel, the previous mayor of the city, that portrayed him as a "tough guy."

She told Politico, "I remember Rahm Emanuel appearing on the cover of Time Magazine, the headline was basically like: ‘Tough guy for Chicago.’ No woman or woman of color is ever going to get that headline."

The cover story Lightfoot appeared to be referencing was a profile on the former mayor from 2013 written by Time's David Von Drehle. The corresponding edition of the magazine featured Emanuel on the cover behind the words, "Chicago Bull."

Martin endorsed Lightfoot's allegations of a double standard, writing, "That the first Black woman to be mayor of this racially fractured city is judged more harshly by some than her white male predecessors is self-evident, look no further than the racist and homophobic tweets [Paul] Vallas is now facing criticism for ‘liking.’"

Vallas is running against Lightfoot for mayor, and as Politico noted, is "The one candidate in the nine-person field who’s certain to make the runoff."

Politico further hinted at a double standard by adding, "The only other woman elected mayor here, Jane Byrne, also happens to be the last mayor who was defeated."

Chicago's mayoral candidates vying for election on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. (Fox & Friends First/Screengrab)

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Though not every Illinois Democrat believes Lightfoot is being mistreated. Martin recently spoke to Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who expressed that the mayor is in hot water for a reason. He wrote, "when I caught up with Representative Jan Schakowsky… at an early voting site on Sunday and asked her about Lightfoot’s double-standard defense the congresswoman shook her head and then leaned in to recall perhaps Lightfoot’s most notorious, and vivid, outburst."

A disapproving Schakowsky told the reporter, "She’s on tape saying, ‘I got the biggest dick.’ Come on, come on."

Fox News Digital reached out to Time for comment on Lightfoot's remarks, though the outlet has yet to respond.