Kwame Raoul, the incumbent Illinois attorney general, is running for a third term in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Republican Robert W. Fioretti.

Raoul, a Democrat, was first sworn in as the state's 42nd attorney general in January 2019, according to the Illinois Attorney General's office. He took the oath for a second term on Jan. 9, 2023.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Born: Sept. 30, 1964, in Chicago, according to The HistoryMakers; born to Haitian immigrants, according to Raoul's campaign
  • Family: Married to Dr. Lisa Moore; four children: Che, Mizan, John and Madison, 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)
  • Memberships: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.; 100 Black Men of Chicago; founding member, Haitian American Lawyers Association of Illinois, according to The HistoryMakers

Experience and public service

Raoul served as an Illinois state senator from 2004 to 2019, according to BallotReady profile data. Before entering elected office, he worked as a prosecutor at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, according to BallotReady. He also served as a senior staff attorney at City Colleges of Chicago, according to his campaign.

He was a partner at Quarles & Brady LLP from 2012 to 2019, according to BallotReady. Raoul has also served as co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Coalition, according to his campaign.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Raoul's campaign website and his responses to BallotReady's candidate questionnaire. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

Criminal justice and public safety: Raoul said he created the state's first Organized Retail Crime Task Force with law enforcement partners to investigate smash-and-grab crimes tied to drug trafficking, human trafficking and other illegal activities. He said the task force has recovered millions of dollars worth of stolen merchandise. He also said he directed an investigation of Illinois Catholic clergy that revealed nearly 2,000 cases of sexual assault against children and released a report on decades of coverups. Raoul said he sponsored landmark legislation to abolish the death penalty in Illinois. He said he advocates for gun safety reform and trains teachers, administrators and parents on avoiding mass shooting incidents in schools.

Healthcare: Raoul said he filed lawsuits to hold drug manufacturers accountable for peddling opioids, securing a $7.4 billion settlement from his lawsuit against Purdue Pharma. He described himself as a cancer survivor and said ensuring affordable health care access for every Illinois resident is a priority. He said he is committed to curbing the youth vaping epidemic and to protecting access to gender-affirming care.

Reproductive rights: Raoul said he has led the Illinois legislature to enact laws expanding access to reproductive health care, including emergency and medication abortion, miscarriage management and fertility treatment. He said he believes a woman should make her own decisions about her family and her health.

Worker protection: Raoul said he created a Worker Protection Unit that enforces violations of worker protection laws and leads a statewide task force to prevent wage theft and misclassification. He said he secured a $25 million settlement with GrubHub following an investigation into alleged deceptive business practices. He said he is leading fellow attorneys general in a lawsuit to get fired federal employees their jobs back.

Civil rights and voting: Raoul said he is a national leader in the fight to recognize the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. He said he works to protect voting rights and sent teams of lawyers to monitor Illinois polls during the November 2024 presidential election.

Endorsements

The following endorsements are listed on Raoul's campaign website and on BallotReady:

  • Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, which gave him its Public Official of the Year Award
  • Planned Parenthood of Illinois, which gave him its 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 details were drawn from the Illinois Attorney General's office biography, The HistoryMakers, BallotReady profile data, Raoul's campaign website and his responses to BallotReady's candidate questionnaire.