Kwame Raoul poised to win a second term as Illinois AG

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul was poised to win a second term late Tuesday.

With 61% of votes counted, the Chicago Democrat had 1,629,079 votes or 56%, to 1,207,778 votes or 41.7% for Republican challenger Thomas Devore, a lawyer from downstate Greenville. Libertarian candidate Daniel K. Robin, a retired attorney, had 63,482 votes.

All vote totals are unofficial.

Crime has dominated the race for attorney general, specifically the constitutionality of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity Today Act (SAFE-T Act) which takes effect Jan. 1 and includes the elimination of cash bail; the governor's authority to issue executive orders, including mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of the state's top judicial officer in prosecuting county offenses.

Throughout the COVID pandemic, DeVore challenged Gov. J.B. Pritzker's executive order authority, which Raoul defended in court.

The candidates also disagreed on the SAFE-T Act, an expansive criminal justice reform that includes changes in police certification, mandates the use of body cameras, strengthens the requirements for the use of deadly force and eliminates cash bail.

DeVore calls the SAFE-T Act unconstitutional. He and other critics claim a cashless bail system will make it harder for prosecutors to keep dangerous criminal defendants in custody while they await trial.

Raoul, who is seeking a second term, disagreed although he acknowledged that some elements of the new law need clarification. He said legislators have "already revisited other components of the SAFE-T Act" and believes that the issues surrounding bail will be resolved during the "ordinary legislative process."