CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot casted her ballot in the mayor’s race today, but candidates continued to criticize the incumbent after remarks she made at a South Side rally Saturday.

“Any vote coming from the South Side for somebody not named Lightfoot is a vote for Chuy Garcia or Paul Vallas,” Lightfoot said at the rally. “If you want them controlling your destiny, then stay home, then don’t vote.”

Lightfoot later walked back the comments, her campaign now saying she urges every Chicagoan to get out and exercise their right to vote.

“If I said anything other than everybody, everywhere needs to vote, I misspoke in the heat of a campaign rally,” Lightfoot said Monday. “But I’ve been very consistent all along saying everybody, everywhere needs to step up and needs to vote just as I said today.”

Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia fired back at Lightfoot while attending a lunch with labor leaders with congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Dolores Huerta Monday afternoon.

“Reprehensible remarks, divisive rhetoric, totally not new to Chicago,” Garcia said. “We’ve seen this happen in almost every decade. It’s really unfortunate, especially at a time when people in every neighborhood are saying we need to come together like never before.”

Brandon Johnson also offered a rebuttal to Lightfoot’s comments.

“it’s obviously quite upsetting that she would move the language of voter suppression,” Johnson said. “This is typical for this administration. She’s made a lot of promises. She’s broken all of them.”

Johnson hosted a Black leadership roundtable on the South Side discussing racial and systemic inequity in public safety, education, health care and housing Monday afternoon before spending time in Portage Park meeting with the 38th Ward Democratic Organization.

Elsewhere, Paul Vallas received an endorsement from former assistant state’s attorney Jerry Joyce, who commended Vallas for having comprehensive plans when it comes to public safety, budgetary management and education.