Announcing Attorney General Run, Rep. Scott Drury Drops Out Of Governor's Race

HIGHWOOD, IL — State Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood) dropped out of one statewide race and entered another, becoming the first Democrat to formally enter the race to replace Attorney General Lisa Madigan at a news conference Tuesday. Ending his long-shot campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Drury announced he is redirecting his efforts to become Illinois' top law enforcement official.

Drury, a former federal prosecutor, is a vocal opponent of Illinois Democratic Party Chairman and House Speaker Mike Madigan, the father of the outgoing attorney general. He was the only Democrat in the General Assembly not to vote for Madigan's reelection as House speaker and has emphasized his independence from party leadership.

"The time has come to clean up Illinois," Drury said, announcing his campaign. "Based on my history, both as a prosecutor and as a state representative, of fighting against corrupt public officials and fighting against powerful interests, I believe that I am uniquely in a position to earn the public’s trust — and have the public’s trust on day one."

Drury, a member of the General Assembly since 2013, previously served as an assitant U.S. attorney in Chicago. He said he has a statewide network of staffers and volunteers already in place from his campaign for governor, which he suggested could offer him a decisive advantage over other candidates just jumping in to the race.

"When I am attorney general no one — and I mean no one — will be above or beyond the law," Drury said. "I will go wherever the evidence leads, whether its the doorsteps of the big banks and the corporations, or whether its Room 200 or 300 of the State Capital, the offices of the Governor and the offices of the Illinois Speaker of the House."

Watch Scott Drury's complete announcement:

Drury promised to oppose Illinois' entrenched political establishment. While he praised Attorney General Madigan's efforts on civil matters, he said she has been lacking on the criminal side when it comes to pursuing fraud in a state "historically known for its public corruption."

He remembered joking with friends who would ask about corruption in Illinois when he first got to Springfield after being elected to the General Assembly.

"[T]his is the scene: I walk into a room, everyone’s talking and laughing and, like, the record scratches and they all stop talking," he said. "If they just know someone’s watching, [it's amazing] the impact you can have."

Drury said he would have a better platform to clean up Illinois as attorney general than as governor.

“Illinois cannot fix its problems until it first builds a foundation of trust. As Attorney General, I can work independently of the General Assembly, Governor’s Office and other State agencies and make clear that the old way of doing business in Illinois no longer has a home here," he said in his campaign announcement.

According to financial disclosures from the second quarter of 2017, Drury's campaign for governor spent nearly $4 million, raised over $66,000 and had $347,000 cash on hand.

Several Democrats have taken steps toward entering the race, includingRep. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook, Ann Williams of Chicago and Sen. Kwame Raoul.

Other than Drury, Republican Erika Harold, an attorney, former Congressional candidate and Miss America, is the only officially declared candidate for attorney general. She has the support of Gov. Bruce Rauner and has been endorsed by dozens of Republican state legislators, her campaign announced Wednesday.

_{Top photo courtesy Friends of Scott Drury}