Julie Bosman and Michelle V. Agins

They were all beaten by two women, Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle, who are now headed for a runoff Tuesday in a history-making race.

Chicago will be the largest U.S. city to ever elect an African-American woman as its mayor. It previously had two black men in the office, Harold Washington and Eugene Sawyer, and one woman, Jane Byrne.

Preckwinkle, 72, is the head of the Cook County Democratic Party and the president of the Cook County Board. She’s a seasoned politician who made her name decades ago as one of Chicago’s most progressive Democrats.

Lightfoot, 56, is more of an unknown. She’s a lawyer and former federal prosecutor who was president of the Chicago Police Board, which in 2016 produced a report accusing the police department of systemic racism.

The mayoral hopefuls are not far apart ideologically. So for many voters who encountered the candidates as they slogged through campaign events during a chilly spring, the choice will come down to whether they want a familiar face touting her vast experience, or someone who has never held elected office before, promising a new order in Chicago.

This article originally appeared in <a id="1f2a1bbe-3dc8-4332-af05-f61271a37a6a" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/us/chicago-mayor-election.html">The New York Times</a>.

Chicago Heads for a Mayoral Runoff Vote. Either Way, the Result Will Be Historic.

The Chicago mayoral election in February was the most crowded in city history, with 14 candidates on the ballot, including respected local government leaders, a charismatic entrepreneur who routinely hands out $100 bills to strangers and even a candidate named Daley, whose brother and father were mayors before him.

Chicago heads for a mayoral runoff vote, either way, the result will be historic

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Julie Bosman and Michelle V. Agins

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Chicago heads for a mayoral runoff vote, either way, the result will be historic