Fioretti seeks attorney general seat in 2026 Illinois race

Robert W. Fioretti, a Republican attorney from Chicago, is running for Illinois attorney general in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democrat Kwame Raoul. North Shore voters across New Trier Township will see this race on their ballots.

Fioretti announced his candidacy on Oct. 14, 2025, at Manny's Deli in Chicago, according to CBS Chicago. He is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Fioretti said he switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 2022. "Several years ago, I switched to the Republican Party because to me, like (many) others across America, the Democratic Party left me," Fioretti said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "They left family values, fiscal responsibility and freedom behind."

Candidate information

Born: March 8, 1953, in Chicago
Education: Mendel Catholic High School (1971); bachelor's degree in political science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1975); juris doctor, Northern Illinois University (1978)
Current employment: Attorney at Disparti Law Group (since 2023); adjunct professor of law at Northern Illinois University

Experience and public service

Fioretti served as alderman for Chicago's 2nd Ward from 2007 to 2015, according to BallotReady. He also served as 2nd Ward Democratic committeeman for the Cook County Democratic Party, according to Wikipedia.

He worked as a senior supervising attorney in Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's administration, according to WTTW and BallotReady. He also served as special assistant state's attorney for Cook County and special assistant attorney general for the state of Illinois. He was a law partner at Roth Fioretti LLC from 2014 to 2023.

Before winning elected office, Fioretti represented the family of Baby Tamia in a 2005 interstate custody case. That case led to changes in Illinois adoption law, according to CBS Chicago. He also served as president of the Northern Illinois University National Alumni Association from 2000 to 2004.

Since leaving the City Council, Fioretti has run for several other offices without success. He sought the Chicago mayor's seat in 2015 and 2019 and ran for Cook County Board president in 2018 and 2022, according to Capitol News Illinois. He also ran for Cook County state's attorney in 2020 and 2024 and for Illinois State Senate in 2016.

Fioretti survived throat cancer, diagnosed in late 2010. He published "My Cancer Journey: In Seven Parts" in 2019, according to Wikipedia.

On the issues

Criminal justice and public safety: Fioretti said he wants to revisit the SAFE-T Act's electronic-monitoring and judicial-discretion guidelines. He called them too lenient, according to the Chicago Tribune. He said he would examine statewide use of grand juries to increase prosecution of public corruption and violent crime. He said he supports recent legislation increasing maximum prison sentences for those who use illegal guns to commit violent crimes, according to his campaign website.

Government reform: Fioretti's campaign said it would withdraw from several categories of lawsuits filed by Raoul, according to the Chicago Tribune. Those include suits that "seek to impede law enforcement officials from doing their sworn duty, interfere in cleaning up the corruption in Illinois elections, target the rights of law-abiding gun owners, or substitute Kwame Raoul's judgment for parental decision making regarding the education, health care and general welfare of their children." He said he would hold government accountable by exposing corruption and ensuring transparency, according to his campaign platform.

Consumer protection, civil rights and education: Fioretti said he would protect consumers and families from fraud, scams and corporate abuse. He said he would safeguard civil rights and enforce laws guaranteeing equal access for students and families, according to his campaign platform.