Illinois Attorney General candidate Bob Fioretti discusses his campaign and vision for the office
ILLINOIS - Bob Fioretti, an attorney and former Chicago alderman, is asking Illinoisans to vote for him for the attorney general seat.
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A first-generation American, Fioretti grew up on the South Side of Chicago. He is running as a Republican against incumbent Kwame Raoul. Fioretti highlighted crime and violence as major concerns, and he spoke against the SAFE-T Act and other policies that have been enacted under Raoul and Governor J.B. Pritzker.
“It is a great opportunity for change here in the State of Illinois by electing me to the Office of the Attorney General,” he said. “These powerful interests have gone unchecked. A number of Democrats don’t want me in that office, and I think some of the Republicans who are on the gravy train feel the same way because they know we’re going to break up this whole cycle of what is happening to this state. The status quo has to change, and this is the time to change it.”
Fioretti said he “probably was one of the most effective aldermen in the city of Chicago” during his tenure. He brought many retail stores to his ward, including a grocery store to combat the food desert that existed there.
He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar. As an attorney, he said he has tried cases that changed laws regarding human trafficking and adoption.
His concern is protecting victims. He spoke against the SAFE-T Act and shared his belief that this law has done harm.
“They allow dangerous criminals back on the streets with this revolving door, and they want to release illegal aliens,” he said. “They put restrictions on our American constitutional rights. Our streets are less safe today than they were eight years ago, especially because they abolished cash bail. They put restrictions on law enforcement agents and handcuff the police, which has plummeted morale and really has led long-time quality police officers to leave the State of Illinois and go elsewhere.”
Fioretti emphasized that he wants to “stand up for the victims.” He believes more prosecution will “break this whole cycle of crime and corruption” that, he said, Illinois has seen over the past several years.
“I am going to reverse the philosophy that the Democrats have in this state,” he added. “Their philosophy is the police are the bad guys, the criminals are the good guys, and victims don’t matter. And on day one, that will change under my leadership. I’ve talked to people outside of the office and inside the office, and they’re looking forward to that change.”
Fioretti believes that Raoul “clearly does whatever the governor says” and that the people surrounding Pritzker are “all yes people.” He wants to challenge this.
He added that his goal as attorney general is to advocate for victims and undermine the “corruption” that he believes is part of the current state administration.
“I’m going to root out corruption. I’m going to protect the most vulnerable that we have in this state. We will restore integrity to a government that has lost its way,” he said. “People know I stick to what I say. I’ve got that experience, the knowledge, the integrity to progressively enforce the law. I’m going to take on the corrupt interest that we have in this state.”
More information about Fioretti and his platform can be found on his official website.
