Democrat Kwame Raoul is running for a third term as Illinois attorney general in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Republican Robert W. Fioretti is also on the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Raoul has held the office since January 2019. Lake County voters will find his name on the statewide portion of their ballots.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Born: Sept. 30, 1964, in Chicago, according to The HistoryMakers; to Haitian immigrants, according to Raoul's campaign
  • Education: High school diploma, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (1982); bachelor's degree in political science, DePaul University (1987); juris doctor, Illinois Institute of Technology (1993)
  • Family: Married to Dr. Lisa Moore; four children: Che, Mizan, John and Madison, according to Raoul's campaign

Experience and public service

Raoul served in the Illinois State Senate from 2004 to 2019, according to BallotReady. Before entering elected office, he worked as a prosecutor at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, according to BallotReady, and as a senior staff attorney at City Colleges of Chicago, according to his campaign website. He was a partner at Quarles & Brady LLP from 2012 to 2019, according to BallotReady. He was sworn in as the state's 42nd attorney general in January 2019 and began a second term on Jan. 9, 2023, according to the Illinois Attorney General's office. Raoul says he co-chairs the Democratic Attorneys General Coalition.

He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and 100 Black Men of Chicago, and a founding member of the Haitian American Lawyers Association of Illinois, according to The HistoryMakers.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Raoul's campaign responses on his website and through BallotReady.

Criminal justice and public safety: Raoul says he created the state's first Organized Retail Crime Task Force to investigate smash-and-grab crimes tied to drug trafficking, human trafficking and other illegal activities. He says the task force has recovered millions of dollars worth of stolen merchandise. He also says he directed an investigation of Illinois Catholic clergy that revealed nearly 2,000 cases of sexual assault against children. As a state senator, Raoul says he sponsored legislation to abolish the death penalty. He says he advocates for gun safety reform and trains school staff and parents on avoiding mass-shooting incidents. He also says he sues to revoke the licenses of gun manufacturers he calls "rogue" for producing cheap firearms used in crimes.

Reproductive rights: Raoul says he has led efforts to enact laws expanding access to reproductive health care, including emergency and medication abortion, miscarriage management and fertility treatment. He says he coordinated with other Democratic attorneys general after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Healthcare: Raoul says he filed lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, citing a $7.4 billion settlement from his lawsuit against Purdue Pharma. He says he is committed to curbing youth vaping and protecting access to gender-affirming care. Raoul describes himself as a cancer survivor and says affordable health care is a personal priority.

Workers and wages: Raoul says he created a Worker Protection Unit that enforces worker-protection laws statewide. He cites a $25 million settlement with GrubHub following an investigation into alleged deceptive business practices. He says he is leading fellow attorneys general in a lawsuit to reinstate fired federal employees. He says he advocated for raising the minimum wage.

Civil rights and voting: Raoul says he urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm states' rights to redraw legislative maps. During the November 2024 presidential election, he says he sent teams of lawyers to monitor Illinois polling places. He says he is a national leader in the fight to recognize the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

Endorsements

The following endorsements are claimed by the endorsing organizations, according to Raoul's campaign website and BallotReady:

  • Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (Public Official of the Year Award)
  • Planned Parenthood of Illinois (Lifetime Achievement Award)
  • AFL-CIO
  • Personal PAC
  • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134
  • International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399
  • Chicago Federation of Labour
  • Equality IL
  • Cook County Democrats
  • IUOE Local 150
  • United Hellenic Voters of America
  • St. Clair County Democrats
  • Illinois NOW PAC
  • Illinois Federation of Teachers

Candidate positions and biographical claims attributed to Raoul's campaign are drawn from responses submitted through his campaign website and BallotReady questionnaires. The Lake Forest Journal has not independently verified those claims.