Kwame Raoul
2019 - Present
2027
6
Kwame Raoul (Democratic Party) is the Attorney General of Illinois. He assumed office on January 15, 2019. His current term ends on January 11, 2027.
Raoul (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Attorney General of Illinois. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Raoul succeeded Lisa Madigan (D), who served from 2003 to 2019.
Raoul is a former Democratic member of the Illinois State Senate, representing District 13 from 2004 to 2019.
Biography
Kwame Raoul was born and lives in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from DePaul University in 1987 and a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Raoul's professional experience includes working as a prosecutor in the Cook County State Attorney's Office and as a partner at Quarles & Brady LLP.[1][2]
Political career
Attorney General of Illinois (2019-present)
Raoul was first elected as attorney general of Illinois in 2018 and was sworn in on January 14, 2019.
Illinois State Senate (2004-2019)
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Criminal Law, Vice chair |
| • Executive |
| • Gaming |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary, Chair |
| • Public Health |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Raoul served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Restorative Justice, Co-chair |
| • Criminal Law, Vice chair |
| • Energy and Public Utilities |
| • Executive |
| • Judiciary, Chair |
| • Public Health |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Raoul served on the following committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Criminal Law, Vice-Chairperson |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary, Chair |
| • Labor and Commerce |
| • Public Pensions & State Investments, Co-chair |
| • Public Health |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Raoul served on these committees:
| Illinois committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Committee of the Whole |
| • Criminal Law, Vice Chair |
| • Financial Institutions |
| • Judiciary |
| • Pensions and Investments, Chair |
| • Redistricting, Chair |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Raoul served on these committees:[3]
| Illinois committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Consumer Protection |
| • Criminal Law |
| • Judiciary |
| • Pensions and Investments |
| • Redistricting |
Issues
Death penalty
At the beginning of the 2011 session, Raoul sponsored a proposal that will appeal the death penalty in Illinois. He faced opposition from the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association.
Raoul cited 10 years of studies that demonstrate a broken criminal justice system.
“There’s got to be a point where you try and solve a problem,” said Raoul. “I think it’s high time the Illinois justice system catch up.”
In 2000, former Gov. George Ryan placed a temporary moratorium on the death penalty, which has since been upheld. Three years later and two days before leaving office, he commuted the sentences of 167 Death Row prisoners.
Sheldon Sobol, Grundy County state's attorney and president of the Illinois State's Attorneys Association, said that the legislation was rushed through committee and that victims didn’t get a chance to be heard by lawmakers.
“When this bill is taken by the Legislature, they have not heard from the most important people that are impacted by this decision,” said Sobol.[4]
On January 6, 2011, the House narrowly passed the bill to abolish the death penalty. The measure now moves to the Senate, where it will be considered when that chamber returns to the Capitol next week.
Lawmakers approved Senate Bill 3539 with the required 60 votes after waging an earlier emotional, hour-long debate. However, the $20 million annual cost of death penalty cases that convinced state Rep. Patrick J. Verschoore to change his previous “no” vote to “yes.”
“I was on both sides of this issue. But then you think of the potential cost savings of this bill, and the state needs all of the savings we can get,” Verschoore said. “Besides, my wife was on me to vote for it.”
“Let’s instead put that money where it really matters,” said state Rep. Karen Yarbrough. “Let’s give law enforcement some training that they need to wage the fight against crime. Let’s give victims of these heinous crimes the support and services that they long deserve.”
Former FBI agent and state Rep. Jim Sacia could not be swayed. He recalled that Brian Dugan confessed to the 1985 killing of 7-year-old Melissa Ackerman in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
“We wouldn’t have had information on the heinousness of this crime had we not had the tool of the death penalty,” Sacia said.
Rep. Robert W. Pritchard said issues of life and death aren’t that cut and dried.
“I agree there are cases that we’d like to have that perpetrator put to death,” Pritchard said. “But it’s arbitrary how and who we pursue in those cases.”
Rep. William Burns agreed and noted that the death penalty has often been biased in its implementation.
“If you’re an African-American who kills a white victim, you’re more likely to be sentenced to death than a white person who kills a black person,” Burns said. “That if you’re low-income, if you are uneducated, you’re more likely to be sentenced to death than someone who has more education and more money.”[5]
Redistricting
Sen. Raoul said the level of transparency during the mapmaking process in 2011 was unparallelled. The legislature hosted hearings before and after the redistricting map was drawn. The current proposed map was posted online.
"As soon as we had a proposed map, we put it out on there," said Raoul.[6]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2022
See also: Illinois Attorney General election, 2022
General election
General election for Attorney General of Illinois
Incumbent Kwame Raoul defeated Thomas DeVore and Dan Robin in the general election for Attorney General of Illinois on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kwame Raoul (D) | 54.4 | 2,219,420 | |
| Thomas DeVore (R) | 43.5 | 1,774,468 | ||
| Dan Robin (L) | 2.2 | 89,664 | ||
| Total votes: 4,083,552 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois
Incumbent Kwame Raoul advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kwame Raoul | 100.0 | 830,578 | |
| Total votes: 830,578 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of Illinois
Thomas DeVore defeated Steve Kim and David Shestokas in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Illinois on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Thomas DeVore | 44.2 | 316,726 | |
 | Steve Kim | 34.7 | 248,652 | |
| David Shestokas | 21.1 | 151,045 | ||
| Total votes: 716,423 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Attorney General of Illinois
Kwame Raoul defeated Erika Harold and Bubba Harsy in the general election for Attorney General of Illinois on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kwame Raoul (D) | 54.7 | 2,488,326 | |
| Erika Harold (R) | 42.7 | 1,944,142 | ||
| Bubba Harsy (L) | 2.5 | 115,941 | ||
| Total votes: 4,548,409 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Illinois on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kwame Raoul | 30.2 | 390,472 | |
| Pat Quinn | 27.2 | 352,425 | ||
| Sharon Fairley | 12.7 | 164,304 | |
| Nancy Rotering | 9.5 | 123,446 | ||
| Scott Drury | 7.9 | 102,193 | ||
| Jesse Ruiz | 5.4 | 70,158 | |
| Renato Mariotti | 4.0 | 51,902 | ||
| Aaron Goldstein | 3.0 | 39,196 | ||
| Total votes: 1,294,096 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of Illinois
Erika Harold defeated Gary Grasso in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Illinois on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Erika Harold | 59.2 | 389,197 | |
| Gary Grasso | 40.8 | 268,688 | ||
| Total votes: 657,885 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Illinois State Senate were held in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.[7]
Incumbent Kwame Raoul ran unopposed in the Illinois State Senate District 13 general election.[8][9]
| Illinois State Senate, District 13 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  Kwame Raoul Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections | ||
Incumbent Kwame Raoul ran unopposed in the Illinois State Senate District 13 Democratic primary.[10][11]
| Illinois State Senate, District 13 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Kwame Raoul Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2012
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kwame Raoul Incumbent |
100% | 74,295 | |
| Total Votes | 74,295 | |||
2010
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2010
| Illinois State Senate, District 13 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Kwame Raoul (D)
|
52,254 | 100.0% | ||
Raoul ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election on February 2nd.[12]
2006
| Illinois State Senate, District 13 (2006) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Kwame Raoul (D)
|
49,616 | |||
| Charles Kinzer (R) | 5,743 | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kwame Raoul did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Campaign website
Raoul's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Keeping Illinoisans Safe from Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Gun Crime When he served in the Illinois Senate, Kwame sponsored tougher penalties for child pornography, updated the state’s law against cyberstalking and passed legislation requiring people charged with child sexual assault to give DNA samples. As attorney general, Kwame will work closely with local law enforcement and state’s attorneys to make sure they have the tools they need to catch child predators – whether online or on the block – and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Gun violence threatens every community, and that’s why Kwame has strengthened penalties against gun traffickers and repeat gun offenders, created sentencing guidelines that keep violent criminals off the street and held adults responsible for gun crimes committed by minors to whom they illegally sold firearms. He’s successfully pushed for commonsense gun laws that expand background checks, require gun owners to report lost or stolen guns, and keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Victims’ rights are of critical importance to Kwame. He passed a sexual assault survivors’ bill of rights that ensures those seeking assistance after an assault are treated with respect and given the information and services they deserve. He updated the Workplace Violence Protection Act to strengthen protections for those threatened at work by their abusers and sponsored the law that shields domestic violence survivors from liability if they terminate their leases early in order to escape unsafe living arrangements. Advocating for Women and Defending a Woman's Right to Choose Kwame worked to expand Medicaid in Illinois and guarantee coverage of birth control and mammograms. He co-sponsored the law that ensures women are given information about how to access health care even when their providers have moral objections to furnishing the treatment they choose. He fought for comprehensive, medically-informed sex education in schools. Kwame proudly voted for House Bill 40, the law that protects a woman’s access to safe and legal abortion in Illinois if Roe v. Wade is overturned. With those rights now threatened at the federal level, he’s ready to fight in court to defend our reproductive healthcare laws whenever necessary. Kwame proudly co-sponsored Illinois’ ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and co-sponsored the Equal Pay Act to combat wage discrimination based on wage history. As a state senator, he’s held annual hearings to ensure woman-owned firms have fair opportunities to handle the investment of state pension funds’ assets. As attorney general, Kwame will zealously defend a woman’s right to choose and access to the full spectrum of healthcare options. With the Supreme Court’s balance threatened by a Trump appointee and Roe v. Wade in great danger, Illinois women need an attorney general who is ready to go to court to protect Illinois’ abortion access laws against all challenges. Safeguarding Access to Affordable Healthcare Kwame co-sponsored the law that enabled Illinois’ early adoption of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. He has also passed legislation to expand the availability of drug treatment facilities, cancer treatment centers, and HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Recognizing the severity of the opioid epidemic, he sponsored legislation establishing penalties for the manufacture and sale of fentanyl, a substance many times more dangerous and addictive than conventional opioids. He has led the way in banning new synthetic drugs and preventing heroin manufacturers and dealers from going on probation instead of serving prison sentences. The Trump administration is working to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and take healthcare access away from Illinois families. Kwame supports the lawsuit filed by 19 state attorneys general – including Illinois’ – to block Trump’s attempted sabotage of the ACA’s health insurance subsidies for middle-class families. He will continue to fight in court for Illinoisans’ access to affordable healthcare. Protecting Voting Rights Kwame joined the current attorney general and his fellow legislators to block the actions of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. He recently passed legislation – which Gov. Rauner vetoed – to end the state’s use of Crosscheck, a multistate voter information database proven to put personal data at risk and wrongly flag eligible voters as improperly registered. As attorney general, Kwame will immediately investigate any interference with Illinois elections and advocate for secure voter information systems that ensure all eligible voters are allowed to register and cast a ballot. Working for Criminal Justice Reform As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee since his appointment to the Senate – and as its chair since 2013 – Kwame has brought his colleagues together to craft legislation that respects the rule of law, the presumption of innocence and the rights of victims. Recognizing that stopping gun crime also means confronting the culture of violence, Kwame has promoted the use of evidence-based methods to keep dangerous criminals out of our communities while providing opportunities and resources to low-level, non-violent offenders so they can take care of their families and stay on the right side of the law. In the General Assembly, he fought against Governor Rauner’s irresponsible cuts to mental health and supported funding for job training and education. His approach to crime victims’ services will include distributing resources to the hardest-hit communities and establishing a trauma center program to interrupt the cycle of violent crime by preventing victims from becoming the next perpetrators. Fighting Public Corruption Kwame has proposed increasing the resources of the Strengthening this division would reduce the current backlog in Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act complaints. Kwame believes the attorney general must pursue that is brought to the attention of the office. He will collaborate with local and federal authorities to provide any resources or assistance they need to prosecute public corruption cases. In response to the most egregious betrayals of the public trust, such as the torture committed by the John Burge administration at the Chicago Police Department, Kwame has insisted on a full public vetting and reconciliation for violated citizens. Kwame was the chief sponsor of legislation creating the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission to investigate Burge’s crimes. As it became clear that the violations went beyond just Burge, he advanced legislation to expand the scope of the torture inquiry to all of Cook County. Standing with Workers The attorney general should have the power to go directly after businesses accused of breaking prevailing wage, minimum wage, employee classification, equal pay and wage theft laws. That’s why Kwame introduced legislation – which Gov. Rauner vetoed – to create a Workplace Protection Unit in the Office of the Attorney General that would have the authority to initiate labor law enforcement actions. Kwame believes that no one who works a full-time job should live in poverty. He has been a strong advocate for raising the minimum wage to help working families across Illinois. He’s also fought for wage security and health insurance for caretakers who work with seniors. With unions under attack at the state and federal levels, as Attorney General, Kwame will passionately fight to protect workers’ right to organize and engage in collective bargaining, aggressively enforce labor laws, and defend working families. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, Kwame said, “the ruling is a reminder of the role Illinois’ attorney general can play in defending workers, even when they cannot count on protection from the federal government or the courts.” Protecting our Environment As a state senator, Kwame sponsored legislation ensuring basic health and safety protections remain in place despite federal rollbacks. He advocated for allowing residents to challenge environmental permits in court when the proposed projects threaten their personal health and property. He championed the Future Energy Jobs Act, which will create thousands of jobs – including in disadvantaged communities – in the green economy. He opposed helping out big coal polluters and voted to protect children from lead poisoning by requiring testing of school water fountains. The role of state attorney general has taken on heightened importance for the environment under a federal administration bent on rolling back emissions standards, enforcement actions against polluters, land and wildlife conservation, and our response to climate change. Kwame will continue the current attorney general’s practice of working with other state attorneys general whenever appropriate to protect our environment and the rule of law. As the state’s top lawyer, Kwame will prioritize enforcement of environmental protections. He will advocate for full funding at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency so it has the resources to safeguard Illinoisans’ water, air and land. Illinoisans in low-income communities, communities of color and underserved rural areas are exposed to disproportionately high levels of pollutants that threaten their health and quality of life. Such communities are also more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Kwame supports strengthening the role of the Illinois Environmental Justice Commission, and, when necessary, he will bring civil rights actions regarding environmental threats that disproportionately put particular populations at risk. Kwame supports bold action on climate change, including committing as a state to the Paris Climate Agreement, reducing carbon emissions and adopting a goal of 100% clean energy by 2050.[13] |
” |
| —Raoul for Illinois[14] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Illinois scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 31.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that "help or hinder Illinois citizens with developmental disabilities access more included lives in their homes and communities."'
- Legislators are scored on their votes on manufacturing issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2017, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 31. There were also special sessions. The 1st special session was June 21-July 6. The 2nd special session was July 26-July 31. During the 3rd special session, the Senate met on August 13, and the House met on August 16. The 4th special session was on August 28-29. There was a veto session from October 24-November 9.
|
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2016, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 31.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 14 through December 7 (extended session).
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 29 through June 2.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 31.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the Illinois State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 31.
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Kwame and his wife, Kali, have two children.
Noteworthy events
On June 16, 2020, Raoul announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19, the diseases caused by the novel coronavirus. He said he experienced mild symptoms.[17]
See also
| Illinois | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
|
Candidate Attorney General of Illinois |
Officeholder Attorney General of Illinois |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Kwame Raoul," accessed January 5, 2018
- ↑ Kwame Raoul for Attorney General, "About Us," accessed February 5, 2018
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "List of Illinois Senate Committees," July 28, 2009
- ↑ "Local prosecutors: Don’t rush death penalty vote," Illinois Statehouse News, January 4, 2011
- ↑ "House narrowly approves abolition of death penalty," Illinois Statehouse News, January 6, 2011
- ↑ "Dems on redistricting defensive," Illinois Statehouse News, May 22, 2011
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list: General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election results, General election 2016," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed January 3, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results: GENERAL PRIMARY - 3/15/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Illinois Democratic Party, "2010 Illinois Primary Election Results," February 3, 2010
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Kwame Raoul for Attorney General, "Issues," accessed October 15, 2018
- ↑ Citizen Action Illinois, "99th General Assembly Legislative Scorecard 2016," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Illinois Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities, "2016 Illinois Community Living Report," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Book Club Chicago, "Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul Tests Positive For Coronavirus," June 16, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Attorney General of Illinois 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Illinois State Senate District 13 2004-2019 |
Succeeded by Robert Peters (D) |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
