Illinois Attorney General Election 2026: Bob Fioretti, Republican

ILLINOIS — Republican Bob Fioretti, a former two-term Chicago alderman and longtime civil rights attorney, is challenging Democratic incumbent Kwame Raoul in the Nov. 3 general election for Illinois attorney general.

Fioretti, who served as Chicago's 2nd Ward alderman from 2007 to 2015, says his priorities include addressing violent crime, fighting public corruption and improving government accountability. As part of Patch's 2026 election guide, Fioretti responded to questions about his background, qualifications and priorities for the office.

The following are his responses to Patch's candidate questionnaire:

Name: Bob Fioretti

Town of residence: Chicago

Position sought: Illinois Attorney General

Party affiliation: Republican

Family: Wife, Nicole Pecori Fioretti

Education: Mendel Catholic High School; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BS); Northern Illinois University (JD)

Occupation: Civil rights attorney, forty years of experience

Previous or current elected or appointed office: Alderman, City of Chicago, 2nd Ward, two terms

Campaign website: www.bobforillinois.com

Campaign contact information: teamfioretti@bobforillinois.com; 773-828-9696

Candidate Questionnaire

What is the single most pressing issue facing Illinois that falls under the attorney general's authority, and what specific steps would you take to address it?

Crime-it is vitally important that we eliminate/reform the inaptly named SAFE T-Act. The law is a disaster and treats violent criminals with kid gloves at the expense of their victims.

What would be your top three priorities as Illinois attorney general?

Eliminate/Reform the SAFETY-Act, find a way to cooperate with the federal government to remove violent illegal aliens from our streets, make better use of the statewide grand jury to go after public corruption.

What role should the attorney general play in addressing public corruption and ensuring government transparency and accountability?

The federal government rightly takes charge of most large-scale, high-profile corruption cases. There is still a lot of public corruption that flies under the radar. As for government transparency and accountability, I believe the FOIA law is a paper tiger, often flaunted by local government officials with little fear of reprisal. In addition, the Open Meetings Act is routinely violated in some counties and cities, with hardly a peep from the Attorney General's office.

What distinguishes you from your opponent, and why should Illinois voters choose you?

My opponent considers himself to be the Governor's lawyer (the Governor has given my opponent more than $4 million in campaign donations in the past eight years). It is apparently very important for the Governor to have some control over the Attorney General's office. I will be the people's lawyer, not the Governor's. The Attorney General is an independently elected office, though one could hardly tell that during the last eight years. In some ways, via statute, case law and the Illinois Constitution, the Attorney General is more powerful than the Governor on public policy. I intend to exercise the full range of the office's powers.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

In the City Council, I was rated the most independent Alderman during my eight years. I voted "no" on six of eight city budgets, in part because they lacked enough resources for law enforcement. I refused to accept money from developers who had zoning issues in my ward.

I was elected in the most diverse ward in the city, with a 70% plus African-American majority when I was first elected. I was re-elected because when it came to government services, I didn't ask someone's race, zip code, sexual orientation, or politics. I treated everyone with equality and dignity, the same as I would as Attorney General.

Editor's note: Candidate responses are published as submitted and reflect the candidate's own views and claims. Patch has not independently verified all statements made in the responses.