Illinois Attorney General's Race: No Clear-Cut Favorite
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's a race with eight candidates and no overwhelming favorite.
The contest contains lots of fresh faces, along with one well-known veteran seeking a comeback.
CBS 2 Political Reporter Derrick Blakley has the story on the crowded contest for the Democratic nomination for Illinois attorney general.
Chicago's former police oversight chief Sharon Fairley wants to be Illinois' first black, female attorney general.
She's new to politics, but not to being an underdog.
"I'm black and I'm a woman. So I've always had to work harder," says Fairley.
Political warhorse Pat Quinn is running, too.
He's a former governor, lieutenant governor and state treasurer and he's seeking political re-birth.
"The reason I'm running for attorney general is to be the strongest advocate for our environment and clean water that Illinois has ever seen," says Quinn.
In a field with eight candidates, Quinn's got the name recognition with everyone else seeking to break out.
Hyde Park's state senator, Kwame Raoul, has won backing from Cook County Democrats and the powerful Chicago Teachers Union.
But Fairley claims that both Raoul and Quinn are part of the problem in Illinois.
"The state of Illinois is still stuck in this never ending political quagmire. Whatever they've been doing has not worked," says Fairley. "We need somebody new to take a new approach, and we need somebody who can work operate independently."
But Fairley isn't the only independent in the race.
The other candidates include state representative Scott Drury, attorney Aaron Goldstein, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti, Highland Park mayor Nancy Rotering and former Chicago Park District Chairman Jesse Ruiz.
Raoul leads in fundraising.
Reports show he's got $1 million in cash on hand.
Drury has about $750,000.
Nancy Rotering has almost $600,000.
Correction: An earlier version of this report said Kwame Raoul was the first Illinois Attorney General candidate to begin airing campaign ads on television. In fact, it was attorney Aaron Goldstein, who began airing a TV spot last month.
