Candidate Q & A: Illinois Attorney General Democratic Candidate Kwame Raoul
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Last year, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced she would not run for reelection.
As a host of candidates lined up to run for the office, the Cook County Democrats endorsed Illinois State Senator Kwame Raoul
He will face central Illinois Republican Erika Harold in the race for Illinois Attorney General.
CBS 2 political reporter Derrick Blakley sat down with Raoul, the man who took Barack Obama's seat in the state senate.
Blakley: What's at stake in this race?
Raoul: I think what's at stake in this race is whether or not they'll be a last line of defense from within this state against the policies coming from the White House. Who we elect as attorney general, not only in the state of Illinois, but throughout the country, matters now more than at any time in American history.
Blakley: If elected attorney general, Kwame Raoul says he'll fight back against President Trump's policies on immigration and GOP attacks against Roe vs. Wade, something he says his socially conservative opponent Erika Harold won't do.
Raoul: The notion that women should have autonomy to make decisions about their own bodies. These are issues that are under attack and we have, in my opponent, an individual who says she will do nothing about protecting those rights. I, on the other hand, will step up and fight.
Blakley: Harold charges Raoul is under the thumb of party boss and Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. But Raoul puts positive spin on their relationship.
Raoul: To the extent I'm being accused of being affiliated with that party of which Mike Madigan is the chair of the party, yes. Have I worked on policy with Mike Madigan? Certainly. Mike Madigan helped me abolish to the death penalty in the state of Illinois.
Blakley: And Raoul says something's wrong with Harold's claim that she'll keep an eye on Springfield Democrats.
Raoul: It's inconsistent in what she said. On the other hand, that her job is simply to enforce the law. Indicating you're going to be a check on a certain party, that implies you're going to be doing more than just enforcing the law. You're going be engaging in policy differences based on partisanship. That is not the job of the attorney general's office.
RELATED: Candidate Q & A: Illinois Attorney General Republican Candidate Erika Harold
