Foxx Claims Victory Over Pfannkuche: Cook County State's Attorney Election Results

Kim Foxx has been named the projected winner for Cook County State's Attorney, defeating Republican challenger Christopher Pfannkuche, according to NBC 5 Chicago and The Associated Press.

During her acceptance speech Tuesday, Foxx said the victory was an honor and declared that now the work begins to fix a broken criminal justice system. Once her win is official, she will become the first African-American to hold the position in Cook County.

The evening got off to a good start for Kim Foxx in the Cook County State's Attorney race as she captured a big, early lead. She kept that lead as the night rolled on, and NBC 5 Chicago projected her winning by 71 percent.

With 3,510 out of 3,668 Chicago and Cook County precincts reporting, Foxx has 71.7 percent (1,357,403) of the unoffical vote, while Pfannkuche has 28.3 percent (535,630).

UPDATED (11:16 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8)

ORIGINAL STORY

In some respects, voters made their statement concerning the embattled Cook County State's Attorney's Office when they overwhelmingly supported Kim Foxx over two-term incumbent Anita Alvarez in the March Democratic primary.

Alvarez and the position had become tarnished in the aftermath of the Laquan McDonald shooting and what many critics feel was her spectacular mishandling of the case, from fighting the release of the dashboard camera video to the delay of more than a year in filing first-degree murder charges against Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke. The message from Cook County voters was clear: They want change.

That mandate for change has Fox and her Republican challenger, Christopher Pfannkuche, who run unopposed in the GOP primary, running as reformers. Both have worked as prosecutors in the office they now seek to head; Pfannkuche for 31 years and Foxx for 12. Both also had very little name recognition before running for state's attorney and tout themselves as outsiders. Before running unopposed in the GOP primary, Pfannkuche was running his own private practice law firm.

But Foxx's profile was immediately elevated when she took on and upset Alvarez in March's primary. And even though she had never run for an elected office before, Foxx still has strong ties with Democratic leadership in Cook County, particularly County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. The candidate was Preckwinkle's chief of staff, and the board president is credited with convincing the party to back Foxx in the primary, according to the Chicago Tribune.

However, it's a different relationship that has caused Pfannkuche to level criticism at Foxx. He claims her consulting work with Power Rogers & Smith, a law firm that has sued Cook County, creates a conflict of interest, according to the Tribune. Even though Foxx says she hasn't worked on lawsuits related to the county while at the firm, Pfannkuche says the fact that, as state's attorney, she could potentially sign off on legal settlements involving the firm is enough to create the conflict.

Foxx on the Issues

• Divert low-risk offenders with mental illness or addiction issues into treatment programs.
• Create presumptive sentencing rules that ensure strict penalties for violent offenders.
• Fight to create stricter firearm safety standards and stricter punishments for "irresponsible" gun makers.
• Build partnerships with schools, local religious leaders, social service providers and other individuals and groups in the community.
• Strengthen the wrongful convictions unit.
• Reduce court backlog by ending the frivilous prosecution of nonviolent drug crimes.
• Target wage theft and other workplace abuse cases, as well as going after environmental polluters.

Watch Kim Foxx's two-minute candidate statement on WTTW-TV:

Go to Kim Foxx's website for more on her platform.

Pfannkuche on the Issues

• Create "zero tolerance" policy for cases involving violent crimes, repeat violent offenders and illegal gun possession.
• Target public corruption, gangs and major drug dealers, as well as prioritize cases of sexual assault and domestic violence.
• Use deferred prosecution programs as a way to give nonviolent offenders a second chance and reduce court backlog.
• Increased oversight of rape kits and DNA analysis by the Chicago Police Department.
• Establish community outreach programs and meet regularly with community members to strengthen their relationship with the office and rebuild trust. Initiatives would include youth ambassador and intern programs to help kids avoid drugs and gangs.

Watch Christopher Pfannkuche's two-minute candidate statement on WTTW-TV:

Go to Christopher Pfannkuche's website for more about his platform.

photo via Patch archive (Kim Foxx); Christopher Pfannkuche campaign

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